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Uganda: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated 18 September 2026 · UN World Population Prospects

Uganda has a population of 52,761,469 (UN estimate, 2026), with Kampala as its capital. The 50 largest of its 166 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+120%

since 2000 (24,000,150)

+62%

projected by 2050 (85,431,202)

264

people per km²

UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.

Full UN series, 1950 to 2050

Year	Population
1950	5,750,913
1975	11,725,240
2000	24,000,150
2005	27,963,289
2010	32,390,802
2015	37,531,446
2020	44,457,152
2025	51,384,894
2026	52,761,469
2030 projected	58,312,940
2050 projected	85,431,202

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Uganda

#	Place	Region	Population
1	Kampala	Central Region	1,680,600
2	Nansana	Central Region	532,800
3	Kira	Central Region	462,900
4	Bunamwaya	Central Region	413,400
5	Kyengera	Central Region	285,400
6	Mbarara	Western Region	221,300
7	Kasangati	Central Region	207,800
8	Mukono	Central Region	191,300
9	Njeru	Central Region	178,800
10	Gulu	Northern Region	177,400
11	Katabi	Central Region	154,300
12	Kajansi	Central Region	135,600
13	Lugazi	Central Region	128,400
14	Hoima	Western Region	122,700
15	Mubende	Central Region	121,600
16	Lira	Northern Region	119,323
17	Ibanda	Western Region	117,700
18	Masaka	Central Region	116,600
19	Kasese	Western Region	115,400
20	Mbale	Eastern Region	111,300
21	Masindi	Western Region	110,500
22	Mityana	Central Region	105,200
23	Entebbe	Central Region	102,600
24	Jinja	Eastern Region	93,061
25	Wakiso	Central Region	87,900
26	Rutoma	Western Region	86,100
27	Bwizibwera	Western Region	79,157
28	Kotido	Northern Region	75,700
29	Arua	Northern Region	72,400
30	Nakivale Refugee Camp	Western Region	68,400
31	Kamuli	Eastern Region	67,800
32	Apac	Northern Region	67,700
33	Iganga	Eastern Region	65,500
34	Busia	Eastern Region	64,900
35	Koboko	Northern Region	64,500
36	Soroti	Eastern Region	60,900
37	Fort Portal	Western Region	60,800
38	Mpondwe	Western Region	58,600
39	Kitgum	Northern Region	56,891
40	Kabale	Western Region	53,200
41	Kapchorwa	Eastern Region	51,200
42	Rwamwanja Refugee Camp	Western Region	49,700
43	Mpigi	Central Region	49,500
44	Luwero	Central Region	49,100
45	Tororo	Eastern Region	48,500
46	Yumbe	Northern Region	47,600
47	Bugembe	Eastern Region	45,600
48	Ishaka	Western Region	43,700
49	Kumi	Eastern Region	43,500
50	Pallisa	Eastern Region	42,300

Twenty years earlier: Uganda in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 26,987,700.

Common questions

What is the population of Uganda?

Uganda has a population of 52,761,469, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 85,431,202 — a forecast, not a measurement.

What is the capital of Uganda?

Kampala.

Go deeper

Kampala

The largest place we record in Uganda: 1,680,600 people

Uganda in 2005

The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 26,987,700 then

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