According to the recently conducted national survey in 2024, Uganda's population stands at 45.9 million. Health status is measured by some of the key indicators such as life expectancy at birth, child mortality rate, neonatal mortality rate and infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, nutrition status and the global burden of disease. The life expectancy of Uganda has increased from 39.3 in 1950 to 62.7 years in 2021. This is lower below the world average which is at 71.0 years. The fertility rate of Ugandan women slightly increased from an average of 6.89 babies per woman in the 1950s to about 7.12 in the 1970s before declining to an estimated 4.3 babies in 2019. This figure is higher than the world average of 2 and most world regions including South East Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Central Asia and America. The under-5-mortality-rate for Uganda has decreased from 191 deaths per 1000 live births in 1970 to 41 deaths per 1000 live births in 2022.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative found that Uganda is fulfilling 80.0% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. Total health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) was 4.67% in 2021.

Health structure in Uganda

Health service delivery in Uganda operates on a decentralized system. In the public sector, the first point of care is a level I health centre (HC) followed by HCII, HCIII, HCIV, district hospital, Regional Referral hospital and the National referral hospital. In the private sector, the hierarchy of treatment starts from a drug shop to a clinic and then to a hospital. Additionally, traditional healers, herbalists, diviners, traditional birth attendants offer treatment to a certain section of the population mainly the rural inhabitants.

Uganda has approximately 6,940 health facilities of which 45% are government owned, 5% are private not for profit and 40% are private for profit. Different health facilities require different health cadres depending on the specialization of care. A range of disciplines ranging from nurses, midwives, clinicians, doctors and specialists provide clinical care to patients.

Notably, the country does not have a national health insurance scheme thereby having a low universal health coverage index of 49%. This poses a great risk of catastrophic health expenditure and limited access to quality care. The existing insurance schemes are privately funded and can only be afforded by the rich and well off companies.

In May 2025, the World Health Organization advised the government of Uganda to increase health-sector funding by raising per capita health expenditure from $57 to at least the WHO-recommended $86 needed to deliver essential services effectively.

Common illnesses and treatments In 2021, the leading five causes of death in Uganda were respiratory infections and tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases and malaria, maternal and neonatal disorders, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, and cardiovascular diseases. The communicable and maternal conditions remain a big challenge, the rise of cardiovascular diseases reflects a growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country. The risk factors most responsible for death and disability include child and maternal malnutrition, unprotected sexual activity, multiple sex partners, contaminated water, poor sanitation, and air pollution.

HIV treatment in Uganda has centered on human antiretroviral therapy through cross-training and increasing the scope of health workers who can administer treatment (e.g., community health workers and nurses). This shift in treatment occurred through the WHO's 2004 "Integrated Management of Adult and Adolescent Illness" guide. Studies of HIV-infected adults in Uganda showed risky sexual behavior to have declined, contributing to the decline in HIV incidence. From 1990 to 2004, HIV rates declined by 70 percent and casual sex declined by 60 percent. Health communication was also listed as a potential cause of inducing behavioral changes in the Ugandan population. According to a 2015 study, impediments to reducing HIV incidence include food insecurity in rural areas and stigma against HIV counseling and testing.

Uganda has the highest incidence rate of malaria in the world, with 478 people out of 1000 population being afflicted per year. According to WHO data published in May 2014, malaria accounted for 19,869 deaths in Uganda (6.19% of total deaths). In 2024, malaria was still the leading cause of illness among pregnant women and children under five.

In 2002, the Ugandan government formalized the process of treating fevers through home-based care. Mothers who were able to better recognize symptoms of malaria took their children to a community medicine facility early in the illness. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness allowed for better recognition of malaria's symptoms. Treatment either involved immediately taking the child to see a nearby healthcare worker or acquiring the treatment of chloroquine and SP, also known as Homapak, though kits have been found to be expired in some instances. However, resistance to HOMAPAK emerged, and drug recommendations by the WHO changed to artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). After the midterm review in 2014 of the national plan for malaria reduction and the malaria programme review in 2010, the national strategy to reduce malaria is being redesigned. Currently, Uganda is treating malaria through distribution of insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying of insecticides, and preventative therapy for pregnant women. The disease burden of malaria, however, remains high and is further strengthened by inadequate resources, understanding of malaria, and increased resistance to drugs.

Uganda's first confirmed Ebola outbreak occurred in 2000. Since then, Uganda has experienced several additional outbreaks, most caused by Sudan virus, as well as Bundibugyo virus disease outbreaks in 2007 and 2026. Public-health responses to Ebola outbreaks in Uganda have included case isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention in health facilities, risk communication and, in some outbreaks, vaccine trials. Such outbreaks have also been associated with stigma against survivors and health workers, which studies have linked to misinformation, fear of lingering contagion, family rejection and reduced cooperation with outbreak-control measures.

Malnutrition In 2011, malnutrition was described as a major obstacle to development affecting all regions of the country and most groups in the population. It stated that malnutrition was limiting Uganda's human, social and economic development, and that progress in reducing it had remained slow despite major advances in economic growth and poverty reduction over the previous 20 years. During this time, nutrition indicators for young children and their mothers have only had minimal improvement, with some indicators showing a worsening trend.

Diets in Uganda have been described as low in diversity and often lacking micronutrient-rich foods. Studies have found inadequate intake of vitamin A, vitamin B-12, iron, zinc and calcium, with diets in some areas relying heavily on roots, tubers and bananas and containing limited fruit, vegetables and animal-source foods. Low fruit and vegetable consumption has also been reported in urban areas, while meat, poultry and eggs were eaten infrequently even among livestock-herding households in the cattle corridor. Also poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions can worsen children's nutrition by affecting health and nutrient absorption. In 2018, 78% of households had access to an improved drinking-water source, but only 19% used improved toilet facilities.

Stunting In 1995, 45% of children under five in Uganda were stunted, meaning they were short for their age. By 2006, the rate had fallen only to 39%, representing about 2.3 million young children in Uganda. The prevalence of stunting continued to decline slowly, from 33% in 2011 to 29% in 2016USAID "Nutrition profile April 2018" USAID "Nutrition profile Uganda DHS 2011 and 2016" and 26% in both 2022 and in 2026. Also child wasting rates have declined.

Uganda's reduction in stunting had multiple causes, but was attributed mainly to measures that affected nutrition indirectly, such as malaria-control strategies.

Child nutrition varies considerably by region in Uganda. In 2018, Tooro had the highest stunting rate, at 40.6%, while the highest wasting rates were recorded in West Nile, at 10.4%, and Karamoja, at 10.0%. Karamoja's wasting rate has been linked to poverty, food insecurity and childhood disease, while West Nile's rate may be related to its large refugee population. In Tooro, poor infant and young child feeding practices were identified as a likely factor.

Undernourishment Uganda's undernourishment rate was 41.4% in 2015 to 2017 and had risen steadily since 2004 to 2006, indicating that a growing share of the population could not regularly meet minimum calorie needs. Food insecurity has been linked to recurrent droughts, which affect agricultural production and have become more frequent with climate change. A severe El Niño-related drought in 2015 and 2016 worsened food insecurity into 2017, with Karamoja, one of Uganda's poorest and most food-insecure regions, especially affected.

Reproductive health Reproductive health concern physical, mental, and social well-being in relation to the reproductive system. It includes access to family planning, fertility regulation, safe pregnancy and childbirth, and sexual health services.

Maternal and infant health

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal health as the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. In 2025, Uganda's total fertility rate continued to be high, at 5.2 children per woman, while 23.5% of girls aged 15 to 19 had begun childbearing.

+ Maternal mortality ratio in Uganda Year Ratio 1990 687 1995 684 2000 620 2005 504 2010 420 2015 343 2020 284 2025 189 Deaths per 100,000 live births.

The maternal mortality ratio is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from causes related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management, excluding accidental or incidental causes. In Uganda, the ratio decreased from 687 in 1990 to 189 in 2025.

In rural areas, conceiving pregnant women seek the help of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) because formal health services can be difficult or costly to access. Although TBAs are often trusted within their community, limited training and some traditional practices, have led to risky medical procedures and maternal health risks. Maternal mortality rates are also associated with low use of contraceptives, limited capacity to manage abortion and miscarriage complications, HIV/AIDS among pregnant women, and inadequate malaria prevention services.

Only 47 percent of Ugandan women receive the recommended four antenatal care visits, and only 42 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel. Among the poorest 20 percent of the population, the share of births attended by skilled health personnel was 29 percent in 2005/2006 compared to 77 percent among the wealthiest 20 percent of the population.

The under-five mortality rate, per 1000 births is 130, and the neonatal mortality as a percentage of under-fives' mortality is 24. In Uganda, the number of midwives per 1000 live births is 7, and 1 in 35 is the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women.

Uganda's modern contraceptive prevalence rate among women of reproductive age rose from 27.3% in 2016 to 29.8% in 2022.

Men's health

Issues affecting men including violence, sexually transmitted diseases, prostate cancers, infertility, HIV, and non-communicable diseases that affect sexual performance. The latest intervention that could improve men's sexual health is male circumcision.

Sexual health