Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Uganda instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 85.4% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Uganda, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 12.1 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

make 96.0% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $2,400 as of 2017.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Uganda, that number is 9.4% as of 2014.

be 41.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Uganda, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2017.

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Uganda, there are 42.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 19.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Uganda, 375.0 women do as of 2017.

be 6.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Uganda, on the other hand, 32.6 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 80.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Uganda, 20% of the population do as of 2017.

be 72.8% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Uganda, about 23.7% do as of 2018.

be 18.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In United States, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Uganda, that number is 81% of people on average (93% in urban areas, and 77% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 48.0% less on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2017.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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