2024 census: Half of Uganda’s population are children, 13% of them orphans
The 2024 national housing and population census has indicated that half of Uganda’s population are children.
The main report of the census released on Thursday indicated that Uganda’s total population now stands at 45.9 million persons, compared to 34.6 million people at the last count in 2014.
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The report indicates that of the 45.9 million, 50% translating into 22.2 million are children between the age of zero and 17 years , an increase from the 18.9 million in 2014 when the last count was done.
According to the census report, 60% of these children were not in their first year of primary school by the age of six at the time of the counting , with boys taking the lion’s share of this statistic.
Also, 62.8% of all children in rural areas and 53.9 of those in urban areas are not in their first year of primary school by the age of six.
The census report also shows that 13% of Ugandan children who have lost either one of both of their parents.
Karamoja at 19.3%, West Nile at 18.5%, Acholi at 14.8% and Bunyoro and Ankole, both at 13.1% are the leading regions with the highest number of orphans.
The census figures also show that 7.4% of children between the age of 12 and 17 years have ever been or are presently married, with Karamoja at 13.8%, Lango at 8.8%, Busoga at 8.1% and Bunyoro at 8% leading at this front.
Ankole at 5.9% has the lowest figures of child marriages, followed by Teso at 6.3%.