Uganda is an ever-changing country. In my fifteen and a half years here, I have seen so much change, it can be hard to believe. In fact, when I hear stories of Uganda’s post-war status, these changes become even more real and amazing. Tales of literal skull mountains, mines in fields, and bombed-out houses still haunt my mind at night. And now, Uganda is a thriving country, growing faster than almost any other African nation.

Because of its massive change in both growth and technology, many people remain with outdated information on Uganda and its neighbors. They believe that people still walk around with lions and hang out with monkeys. Unfortunately, as we’ve already seen, there could be nothing further from the truth. In fact, here are three crazy things that I bet you didn’t know about Uganda.

1. Uganda is the most ethnically diverse country in the world. Even the United States, with dozens of people groups and ethnicities, doesn’t compare. Uganda has over 56 tribes, the largest being the Ganda tribe (Speedway Safaris 2019). Currently, it has a population of over 44 million, a massive increase from the estimated 33 million in 2013 (World Population Review 2019). By 2050, its population is projected to be 90,000,000, ranking it 21st in terms of overall population.
2. Uganda is also the youngest country in the world with “48.47% of the Ugandaís population being in the 0-14 year-old age group” (2019). This proves to be a massive problem within the church, as well over half of all church-goers are under the age of 16. The children of Uganda are an unreached people group, and the Christian church should make all efforts to reach them. Sadly, Muslims from across the world have realized the same thing and have joined the battle for the hearts of Uganda’s children. Mosques appear everywhere, and Muslim orphanages have become popular.
3. As to religion, studies show that Roman Catholicism and Protestantism both dominate. “The inhabitants of Uganda are mainly Roman Catholic and make up 39.3% of the total population. Anglican, Muslim and Pentecostal believers represent 32%, 13.7% and 11.1% of the total population respectively” (2019). This statistic can be quite misleading. While an apparent 71% of Ugandans are Christians, statistics do not tell that many of Uganda’s “Christians” are not actually Christians at all. Their beliefs have been corrupted by folk religion and the prosperity gospel, also known as the “Health and Wealth Gospel”. Unfortunately, there are no statistics (as of the writing of this article, in November of 2019) that can measure how deep these corruptions go. I, personally, would estimate that one in every two Ugandan Christians has been corrupted by folk religion, Islam, or the prosperity gospel.
4. Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni currently holds fourth place in the list of longest current-raining presidents. Since winning the 1986 presidential elections, Museveni has remained in power, easily defeating other opponents. Although accused of rigging the elections, it appears that he won them fairly, as his polls have apparently shown his approval well above 50%, although they seem to be dropping. Museveni has done an excellent job of reviving Uganda. When I listen to older Ugandans that lived through the war with Idi Amin, everything they say about Museveni is good. According to them, the roads now are far, FAR better then they were now, the economy is flourishing, buildings are being erected, Kampala is growing, and the military is getting stronger. Truly, Museveni has done an excellent job of governing this country.

Alright, those are some crazy numbers. Hopefully, your head wasn’t spinning quite as bad as mine was at the end of this. Every article I cited in this post can be found below, if you would like to read more. If you have any comments or thoughts about Uganda’s growth, leave a comment in the comment section below!

Anyway, that’s all for today. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you learned a lot! If you haven’t already, be sure to click that Follow button below, so as to not miss out on any new blog posts. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

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“About Uganda: Facts and Figures.” Speedway Safaris, https://www.speedwaysafaris.com/about-uganda/.

“Uganda Population”. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2019-11-01, from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/uganda/