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

Health

be 71.3% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 13.3% more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 49.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 4.1 years less

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 87.4% fewer doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 23.4% less access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 9.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 79.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 14.1% more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 48.7% more children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 8.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 18.4% less likely to be literate

In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 17.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 41.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 80.8% less likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 33.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 56.5% more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 46.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 95.3% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 96.9% less home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Uganda has 0.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 88.8% less electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Uganda uses 95 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 27.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 86.6% less CO2

Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Uganda compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Uganda or Syria. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.