Geographical location :
Landlocked country in East Africa, bordered by South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Lake Victoria to the south, Rwanda to the southwest, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
Official languages: English, Swahili
(i.e. 49,283,041)
Nominal, USD 986.84
Trading Economics
Note. PPP: ~ USD 3,275.76 (2024), World Scorecard
Why Uganda may be considered a fragile / “at risk” state.
Uganda displays a number of structural and governance vulnerabilities consistent with fragility:
Pervasive corruption and weak accountability:
Uganda ranks low in international corruption metrics (Transparency International score 26/100 in 2023) with impunity for officials, restricted civic space, and weak justice mechanisms.
Public procurement and illicit financial flows are major leak points: trade misinvoicing, tax avoidance, and weak audit systems lead to significant loss of public resources.
Institutional redundancy and limited enforcement: anti-corruption bodies exist (Inspectorate of Government, Anti-Corruption Court), but their effectiveness is constrained by weak capacity, political interference, and lack of consistent enforcement.
Political centralization & erosion of democracy: long rule of President Museveni (since 1986) and recent legal changes (e.g. reintroduction of military trials for civilians) raise concerns about executive overreach and suppression of opposition.
Economic fragility & income inequality: though Uganda has growth potential, much of its population remains vulnerable, subsistence agriculture dominant, and public services uneven.
