These are the regions with high middle-class population in Uganda

Kampala has 40.66 of its population in the middle-class category
Elgon sub-region experienced a 135 percent growth of middle-class citizens

A government report has indicated that 15.64 million Ugandans are now classified as middle-class citizens.

The report was launched on February 9, 2023, and published a few weeks ago. The details are contained in the Poverty Status Report, 2021 compiled by the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) and the Ministry of Finance.

The published report indicates that by the end of 2020, at least 1.52 million Ugandans had joined the middle-class category. This implies that they have secured better livelihoods compared to 2017 when the middle class had 14.12 million Ugandans. This trend has been acknowledged as a development aligned with Uganda Vision 2040.

According to the report, the middle class is defined as one that has a minimum likelihood of going below the poverty line after attaining a sustainable standard of living. This change is associated with growth in real income which is a reflection of the middle-income economy.

“In Uganda, there is a strong national aspiration to reach a middle-income economy with a per capita income of $1,039 (Shs3.7m),” the report reads in part.

The government has been disputed by the World Bank on grounds that Uganda is a lower middle-income country.

Urban trends and rural emergence

The report indicates that there is a steady rise in the middle class in rural areas where urban areas dominated.

Of the 15.64 million, 56.52 percent are urban dwellers while 31.52 percent are in rural areas.

Urban areas have registered a decline

By the end of 2010, the middle class in rural areas was 27.2 percent and has increased to 31.52 percent, whereas the middle class in urban areas dropped from 57.7 percent in the same period to 56.65 percent.