Uganda’s youth unemployment rate has climbed to 17.9%, with Bukedi and Teso sub-regions recording the highest levels in the country, according to the latest Labour Market report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
The findings were presented by Elizabeth Nyirantwari, a senior statistician at UBOS, during the dissemination of the report at Statistics House in Kampala on Thursday.
The report shows significant regional disparities in youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24, with Bukedi leading at 37.1%, followed by Teso at 32.8%. Busoga also records relatively high levels at 23.0%.
At the other end of the spectrum, Karamoja (8.5%) and Bunyoro (9.1%) registered the lowest youth unemployment rates.
In Kampala, the rate stands at 18.6%, slightly above the national average.
The data also reveals a clear gender gap, with young women more affected than young men. Female youth unemployment stands at 21.0%, compared to 15.2% for males.
The disparity is more pronounced in rural areas, where female youth unemployment is 21.6%, higher than their urban counterparts.
Urban areas recorded a youth unemployment rate of 18.7%, slightly higher than rural areas at 17.2%, suggesting that job scarcity persists even in towns and cities where opportunities are expected to be more available.
Education levels also show unexpected trends. Youth with post-primary specialised training and above face the highest unemployment rate at 28.2%.
Among females in this category, unemployment rises sharply to 36.3%, compared to 19.5% for males.
In contrast, youth with some primary education (17.2%) and those with some secondary education (17.3%) record relatively lower unemployment rates.
The report further highlights challenges faced by youth with disabilities. Female youth with disabilities have an unemployment rate of 26.9%, more than double that of males at 13.0%.
Overall, the youth employment-to-population ratio remains low at 29.6%, meaning less than a third of young people are currently employed.
Male youth have a higher employment rate at 34.5%, compared to 25.0% for females.
UBOS says the findings point to persistent structural inequalities in Uganda’s labour market, with sharp regional, gender, and education-based disparities continuing to shape youth employment outcomes.
