Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Uganda instead of California, you would:

Health

live 10.0 years less

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Uganda, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

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make 96.7% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $2,800 as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 89.2% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Uganda, about 10.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: California vs. Uganda
Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Uganda is 63.2% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 1.7 times bigger than Uganda.
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Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
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How big is Uganda compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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