Districts of Uganda

Buy data    Donate

Updates: 

Sorin Cosoveanu pointed out source [26] to me. It has population by district according to the 2002 and 2014 censuses. The 2002 populations are rounded to the nearest hundred, and are consistent with source [25] considering the roundoff. Source [26] also has population densities. Using them, I calculated the area of each district. This also introduces a roundoff error, and the total area comes out about 2% too high, so each individual area may also be a bit too high.

"Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes, Edition 2" (GENC), a U.S. standard that's supposed to correspond to ISO 3166-2, was issued on 2014-03-31. It gives codes for the 32 new districts. Subsequently, on 2014-11-03, ISO officially issued codes for the same districts. Now there is a perfect match between the two standards, except for one thing: the codes for Buhweju and Kole districts are switched.

Update 15 to the GEC, the successor to the FIPS standard, is dated 2014-03-31. It changes the spelling of three district names. The new spellings are already shown here, either in the main table or under Other names of subdivisions.

Update 4 to Geopolitical Entities and Codes, the successor to FIPS PUB 10-4, was issued on 2011-04-30. It has codes for 32 new districts.

The latest version of the FIPS standard is called "Geopolitical Entities and Codes", published in 2010-04. It assigns codes to the newly created Ugandan districts.

I have used Schedule I of the Uganda Constitution (source [15]) to resolve name conflicts, such as Busiki vs. Namutumba or Kibaale vs. Kibale. Note: sometimes a variant name is much more prevalent than the "official" one.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter number II-1, dated 2010-02-03, has changes to the listing for Uganda. The prefix UG- is added explicitly to each province code. ISO codes are provided for the 3 districts created in 2007. The alternate names listed in Newsletter I-9 have been deleted.

In 2008, The Uganda Communication Commission set up a URL for each district, following the pattern www.district name.go.ug. Some, but not all, of them have been allowed to expire. Lamwo and Maracha didn't have UCC websites yet. Tororo's URL brought up a Joomla page.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-9 was published on 2007-11-28. It provided ISO codes for the 21 districts created since Newsletter I-5 was issued in 2003. The 56 existing codes were left unchanged. The newsletter listed alternate names for four districts: Amuru (Kilak), Isingiro (Kabingo), Maracha (Maracha-Terego), and Namutumba (Busiki).

FIPS Publication Change Notice No. 9, affecting FIPS PUB 10-4, was issued on 2004-10-01. It assigned FIPS codes to the eleven new districts of 2000-2001. It also changed the FIPS codes of the old districts from which the new ones were formed. Details are below under Primary subdivisions and Change history.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter number I-5, dated 2003-09-05, added eleven new districts to Uganda, and changed all ISO codes for districts. It cited the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (source [2]) as its source for the list of districts and the codes. All of the district names from the old list were still there, except that Kibale appeared as Kibaale in the newsletter (and also on the UBoS site).

Change Notice 7 to FIPS PUB 10-4, published 2002-01-10, assigned FIPS codes to the six new districts created in 1997. ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-3, published 2002-08-20, assigned ISO codes to them.

Country overview: 

Short nameUGANDA
ISO codeUG
FIPS codeUG
LanguageEnglish (en)
Time zone+3
CapitalKampala

 

Uganda was a British protectorate at the beginning of the 20th century. On 1962-10-09 it became an independent member of the British Commonwealth.

Other names of country: 

  1. Danish: Uganda
  2. Dutch: Oeganda, Republiek Oeganda (formal)
  3. English: Republic of Uganda (formal)
  4. Finnish: Uganda
  5. French: Ouganda m
  6. German: Uganda n
  7. Icelandic: Úganda
  8. Italian: Uganda f
  9. Norwegian: Uganda, Republikken Uganda (formal)
  10. Portuguese: Uganda, República f do Uganda m (formal)
  11. Russian: Республика Уганда (formal)
  12. Spanish: Uganda, República f de Uganda (formal)
  13. Swedish: Uganda
  14. Turkish: Uganda Cumhuriyeti (formal)

Origin of name: 

Swahili for land of the Ganda, ethnic name

Primary subdivisions: 

Uganda is divided into 111 districts and 1 city.

DistrictHASCISOFIPSPop-2014Pop-2002Area(km.²)CapitalReg
Abim UG.AI317UGB6107,966 51,903 2,346 Abim N
Adjumani UG.AD301UG98225,251 202,290 2,962 Adjumani N
Agago UG.AG322UGE3227,792 184,018 3,503 Agago N
Alebtong UG.AL323UGE4227,541 163,047 1,535 Alebtong N
Amolatar UG.AT314UGB7147,166 96,189 1,157 Amolatar N
Amudat UG.AZ324UGE5105,767 63,572 1,626 Amudat N
Amuria UG.AM216UGB8270,928 180,022 2,578 Amuria E
Amuru UG.AY319UGB9186,696 135,723 3,588 Kilak N
Apac UG.AQ302UG99368,626 249,656 2,947 Apac N
Arua UG.AX303UGA1782,077 559,075 4,343 Arua N
Budaka UG.BD217UGC1207,597 136,489 408 Budaka E
Bududa UG.BA223UGC2210,173 123,103 316 Bududa E
Bugiri UG.BI201UG66382,913 266,944 1,038 Bugiri E
Buhweju UG.BH325UGE6120,720 82,881 748 Buhweju W
Buikwe UG.BZ117UGE7422,771 329,858 1,206 Buikwe C
Bukedea UG.BE224UGC3203,600 122,433 1,032 Bukedea E
Bukomansimbi UG.BM118UGE8151,413 139,556 599 Bukomansimbi C
Bukwo UG.BW218UGC489,356 48,952 524 Bukwo E
Bulambuli UG.BB225UGE9174,508 97,273 693 Muyembe E
Buliisa UG.BL419UGC5113,161 63,363 1,108 Buliisa W
Bundibugyo UG.BX401UG28224,387 158,909 848 Bundibugyo W
Bushenyi UG.BC402UG29234,440 205,671 844 Bushenyi W
Busia UG.BU202UG67323,662 225,008 734 Busia E
Butaleja UG.BJ219UGC6244,153 157,489 653 Butaleja E
Butambala UG.BT119UGF1100,840 86,755 403 Gombe C
Buvuma UG.BV120UGF289,890 42,483 293 Kitamilo C
Buyende UG.BY226UGF3323,067 191,266 1,379 Buyende E
Dokolo UG.DO318UGC7183,093 129,385 1,004 Dokolo N
Gomba UG.GM121UGF4159,922 133,264 1,664 Kanoni C
Gulu UG.GL304UGA2436,345 298,527 3,433 Gulu N
Hoima UG.HO403UG31572,986 343,618 3,671 Hoima W
Ibanda UG.IB416UGC8249,625 198,635 969 Ibanda W
Iganga UG.IC203UGA3504,197 355,473 1,017 Iganga E
Isingiro UG.NG417UGC9486,360 316,025 2,613 Isingiro W
Jinja UG.JI204UG33471,242 387,573 677 Jinja E
Kaabong UG.AB315UGD1167,879 202,757 7,298 Kaabong N
Kabale UG.KA404UG34528,231 458,318 1,680 Kabale W
Kabarole UG.BR405UG79469,236 356,914 1,810 Fort Portal W
Kaberamaido UG.KD213UG80215,026 131,650 1,342 Kaberamaido E
Kalangala UG.KN101UG3654,293 34,766 451 Kalangala C
Kaliro UG.RO220UGD2236,199 154,667 778 Kaliro E
Kalungu UG.QA122UGF5183,232 160,684 812 Kalungu C
Kampala UG.KM102UG371,507,080 1,189,142188 Kampala C
Kamuli UG.QU205UGA4486,319 361,399 1,514 Kamuli E
Kamwenge UG.KE413UG81414,454 263,730 2,340 Kamwenge W
Kanungu UG.UU414UG82252,144 204,732 1,271 Kanungu W
Kapchorwa UG.QP206UGA5105,186 74,268 352 Kapchorwa E
Kasese UG.KS406UG40694,992 523,033 2,943 Kasese W
Katakwi UG.KK207UGA6166,231 118,928 2,306 Katakwi E
Kayunga UG.KY112UG83368,062 294,613 1,592 Kayunga C
Kibaale UG.KI407UG41785,088 405,882 4,242 Kibaale W
Kiboga UG.QO103UG42148,218 108,897 1,592 Kiboga C
Kibuku UG.QB227UGF6202,033 128,219 481 Kibuku E
Kiruhuura UG.KH418UGD3328,077 212,219 4,555 Kiruhuura W
Kiryandongo UG.QD420UGF7266,197 187,707 3,595 Kiryandongo W
Kisoro UG.KR408UG43281,705 220,312 699 Kisoro W
Kitgum UG.QT305UG84204,048 167,030 3,998 Kitgum N
Koboko UG.OK316UGD4206,495 129,148 760 Koboko N
Kole UG.QL326UGF8239,327 165,922 1,071 Kole N
Kotido UG.KF306UGA7181,050 122,442 3,620 Kotido N
Kumi UG.QM208UG46239,268 165,365 1,003 Kumi E
Kween UG.QW228UGF993,667 67,171 850 Binyini E
Kyankwanzi UG.QZ123UGG1214,693 120,575 2,466 Butemba C
Kyegegwa UG.QG421UGG2281,637 110,925 1,747 Kyegegwa W
Kyenjojo UG.QJ415UG85422,204 266,246 2,357 Kyenjojo W
Lamwo UG.LM327UGG3134,379 115,345 5,598 Lamwo N
Lira UG.LL307UGA8408,043 290,601 1,327 Lira N
Luuka UG.LK229UGG4238,020 185,526 648 Kiyunga E
Luwero UG.LW104UGA9456,958 341,317 2,216 Luwero C
Lwengo UG.LE124UGG5274,953 242,252 1,024 Lwengo C
Lyantonde UG.LY116UGD593,753 66,039 883 Lyantonde C
Manafwa UG.MW221UGD6353,825 262,566 533 Manafwa E
Masaka UG.MQ105UG71297,004 228,170 1,158 Masaka C
Masindi UG.MZ409UG50291,113 208,420 3,932 Masindi W
Mayuge UG.MG214UG86473,239 324,674 1,073 Mayuge E
Mbale UG.ME209UGB1488,960 332,571 517 Mbale E
Mbarara UG.RR410UGB2472,629 361,477 1,781 Mbarara W
Mitoma UG.MM422UGG6183,444 160,802 542 Mitoma W
Mityana UG.TY114UGD8328,964 266,108 1,524 Mityana C
Moroto UG.MX308UG88103,432 77,243 3,564 Moroto N
Moyo UG.MY309UGB3139,012 194,778 1,902 Moyo N
Mpigi UG.MJ106UG89250,548 187,771 1,202 Mpigi C
Mubende UG.MD107UGB4684,337 423,422 4,591 Mubende C
Mukono UG.MV108UG90596,804 423,052 1,829 Mukono C
NakapiripiritUG.NI311UG91156,690 90,922 4,233 Nakapiripirit N
Nakaseke UG.NK115UGD9197,369 137,278 3,461 Nakaseke C
Nakasongola UG.NA109UG73181,799 127,064 3,303 Nakasongola C
Namayingo UG.NY230UGG7215,442 145,451 585 Namayingo E
Namutumba UG.BK222UGE1252,562 167,691 810 Namutumba E
Napak UG.NQ328UGG8142,224 112,697 4,901 Napak N
Nebbi UG.NB310UG58396,794 266,312 1,915 Nebbi N
Ngora UG.NR231UGG9141,919 101,867 637 Ngora E
Ntoroko UG.NO423UGH167,005 51,069 1,239 Kibuuku W
Ntungamo UG.NT411UG59483,841 379,987 2,048 Ntungamo W
Nwoya UG.NW329UGH2133,506 41,010 4,601 Nwoya N
Nyadri UG.MH320UGD7186,134 145,705 438 Nyadri N
Otuke UG.OT330UGH3104,254 62,018 1,555 Otuke N
Oyam UG.OY321UGE2383,644 268,415 2,190 Oyam N
Pader UG.PR312UG92178,004 142,320 3,294 Pader N
Pallisa UG.PS210UGB5386,890 255,870 1,030 Pallisa E
Rakai UG.RI110UG61516,309 404,326 3,245 Rakai C
Rubirizi UG.RZ424UGH4129,149 101,804 1,092 Rubirizi W
Rukungiri UG.RK412UG93314,694 275,162 1,435 Rukungiri W
Sembabule UG.SE111UG74252,597 180,045 2,315 Mawogola, LwemiyagaC
Serere UG.SX232UGH5285,903 176,479 1,495 Serere E
Sheema UG.SH425UGH6207,343 180,234 696 Kibingo W
Sironko UG.SK215UG94242,422 185,819 401 Sironko E
Soroti UG.ST211UG95296,833 193,310 1,366 Soroti E
Tororo UG.TR212UG76517,082 379,399 1,192 Tororo E
Wakiso UG.WA113UG961,997,418 907,988 1,882 Wakiso C
Yumbe UG.YU313UG97484,822 251,784 2,318 Yumbe N
Zombo UG.ZO331UGH7240,082 169,048 940 Zombo N
112 districts34,634,65024,748,977200,523
  • District: Kampala is a city.
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • FIPS: "Geopolitical Entities and Codes."
  • Pop-2014: 2014-08-27 census (source [26])
  • Pop-2002: 2002-09-13 census (Wikipedia, source [25])
  • Area: Based on population density, source [26]
  • Reg: ISO code for region the district belongs to:
    C = Central, E = Eastern, N = Northern, W = Western.

Further subdivisions:

See the Counties of Uganda page.

The districts are divided into counties, which are subdivided into sub-counties, which are subdivided into parishes, which are subdivided into villages. The old regions are still referred to, but no longer have any administrative status.

Various Wikipedia articles give the names and extents of 13 sub-regions. The sub-regions are a level intermediate between the regions and the districts, but they are not a partition of the country; there are no sub-regions in Central, and a few districts elsewhere don't fall under any sub-region.

Territorial extent: 

  1. Bugiri includes the islands of Sigulu, Lolui, Dagusi, Sagitu, and others in Lake Victoria.
  2. Kalangala consists of the Sese Islands in Lake Victoria. The largest ones are Bugala and Bukasa.
  3. Mukono includes the islands of Buvuma, Kome, Damba, Bugaia, and others in Lake Victoria.

The UN LOCODE page  for Uganda lists locations in the country, some of them with their latitudes and longitudes, some with their ISO 3166-2 codes for their subdivisions. This information can be put together to approximate the territorial extent of subdivisions.

Change history: 

  1. The sources for the entries below include sources [4] and [5].
  2. 1926: Significant border adjustments made between Uganda and its neighboring countries.
  3. From 1945 or earlier until after independence, Uganda was divided into four provinces. During at least part of this period, the provinces were subdivided into districts. This table gives the populations of the provinces according to the censuses of 1948, 1959, and 1969.
Province1948-02-251959-03-181969-08-18Area(km.²)Capital
Buganda1,317,7051,881,1492,667,33261,609Kampala
Eastern1,514,4281,902,6972,817,06663,018Jinja
Northern945,1041,249,3101,631,89957,320Gulu
Western1,177,9391,503,3752,432,55054,913Masindi
4 provinces4,955,1766,536,5319,548,847236,860
  1. 1960: Status of provinces changed to regions, with no administrative function. Districts became the primary divisions. (This is a conjecture to try to explain the observed facts. According to [5], there were 16 districts at this time.)
  2. 1962: Mbale territory, with an area of 25 km.², was created from territory disputed between Bugisu and Bukedi districts. The city of Mbale was the capital of both districts. (GE-29) The New Vision site gives 1966 as the date of this change. [5] agrees with 1962.
  3. 1962-10-09: Uganda became an independent member of the British Commonwealth.
  4. 1966-05-28: Status of Busoga changed from territory to district. (GE-29)
  5. 1966-06-10: Buganda kingdom split into four districts: Bombo, Masaka, Mpigi, and Mubende. At this date, Uganda was divided into 15 districts, three kingdoms, and one territory, as listed in the following table. These were further subdivided into sazas (counties), which were subdivided into gombolas (sub-counties), which were subdivided into mirukas (parishes). (GE-29)
DivisionTypeCapital
AcholidGulu
AnkolekMbarara
BombodBombo
BugisudMbale
BukedidMbale
BunyorokHoima
BusogadJinja
KaramojadMoroto
KigezidKabale
LangodLira
MadidMoyo
MasakadMasaka
MbaletMbale
MpigidMpigi
MubendedMubende
SebeidKapchorwa
TesodSoroti
TorokFort Portal
West NiledArua
  • Type: district (d), kingdom
    (k), or territory (t).

 

Source [6] has a table of districts with populations from the 1959 census. This list differs from the previous one in that Bombo, Mpigi, and Sebei disappear, to be replaced by Mengo. I'm not sure how to reconcile this with the information from the Geographic Notes. Based on the change reported in GE-40, Mengo represents the union of Bombo and Mpigi, but I don't know what happened to Sebei.

DistrictPopulation
Acholi286,846
Ankole531,335
Bugisu353,411
Bukedi400,432
Bunyoro128,198
Busoga677,410
Karamoja172,397
Kigezi494,488
Lango354,311
Madi50,737
Masaka443,877
Mbale Town13,569
Mengo1,337,895
Mubende99,377
Teso457,875
Toro349,354
West Nile385,019
17 districts6,536,531
  • Population: 1959 census.
    Population of Karamoja
    includes Karasuk, which
    is part of Kenya.
  1. 1967-09-08: New constitution approved. Status of kingdoms changed to districts. Mbale territory merged with Bugisu district. Capital of Bukedi moved to Tororo. Name of Bombo district changed to East Mengo. Name of Mpigi district changed to West Mengo. (GE-40)
  2. 1971-04: Acholi district split into East Acholi and West Acholi; Karamoja district split into North Karamoja and South Karamoja. Source [7] has this list of divisions of Uganda. As you can see, it reflects the partition of Acholi but not that of Karamoja.
DistrictFIPSPopulationArea(km.²)RegCapital
East AcholiUG06463,84427,853NGulu
West AcholiUG17N
AnkoleUG01861,14516,182WMbarara
BugisuUG02421,4332,546EMbale
BukediUG03527,0904,553ETororo
BunyoroUG04351,90319,609WHoima
BusogaUG05949,38414,047EJinja
East MengoUG07851,58323,440BBombo
KaramojaUG08284,06727,213EMoroto
KigeziUG09647,9885,218WKabale
LangoUG10504,31513,740NLira
MadiUG1189,9785,006NMoyo
MasakaUG12640,59621,300BMasaka
MubendeUG13330,95510,310BMubende
SebeiUG1464,4641,738EKapchorwa
TesoUG15570,62812,921ESoroti
ToroUG16571,51413,904WFort Portal
West MengoUG18844,1986,559BMpigi
West NileUG19573,76210,721NArua
19 districts9,548,847236,860
  • FIPS: Codes from the Defense Intelligence Agency.
  • Population: 1969 census.
  • Reg: Region to which the district belonged: Buganda
    (B), Eastern (E), Northern (N), or Western (W).
  1. 1974: Provinces were introduced as the new primary subdivisions of Uganda. Districts remained as secondary subdivisions, and were increased in number to 37 ([5]). These were the provinces during this period.
ProvinceFIPSPopulationArea(km.²)CapitalFormer
BusogaUG051,221,87213,340JinjaBusoga
CentralUG181,117,6486,270KampalaWest Mengo
EasternUG202,015,53022,260MbaleBugisu, Bukedi, Sebei, Teso
KaramojaUG08350,90826,960MorotoKaramoja (North and South)
NileUG21811,75515,730AruaMadi, West Acholi (part), West Nile
North BugandaUG221,554,37127,010BomboEast Mengo, Mubende
NorthernUG231,261,36441,520GuluAcholi (East and part of West), Lango
South BugandaUG12905,75415,970MasakaMasaka
SouthernUG241,963,42821,280MbararaAnkole, Kigezi
WesternUG251,427,44630,980Fort PortalBunyoro, Toro
10 provinces12,630,076221,320
  • FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4.
  • Population: 1980 census
  • Former: Pre-1974 districts forming this province.
  1. 1980: Provinces abolished, and the number of districts reduced to 33, each named for its capital. Name of Buganda region changed to Central.
  2. 1990: Kalangala district split from Masaka.
  3. 1991: Kibaale district split from Hoima, while 314 km.² of territory was transferred from Masindi to Hoima; Kiboga split from Mubende; Kisoro split from Kabale; Pallisa split from Tororo. The resulting districts were these:
District HASCISOFIPSPopulationArea(km.²)Area(mi.²)RegFormer
ApacUG.APAPAUG26460,7006,4882,505NNorthern
AruaUG.ARARUUG27624,6007,8303,023NNile
BundibugyoUG.BNBUNUG28116,0002,338903WWestern
BushenyiUG.BSBUSUG29734,8005,3962,083WSouthern
GuluUG.GUGULUG30338,70011,7354,531NNile, Northern
HoimaUG.HOHOIUG31197,8005,4922,120WWestern
IgangaUG.IGIGAUG32944,00013,1135,063EBusoga
JinjaUG.JIJINUG33284,900734283EBusoga
KabaleUG.KAKBLUG34412,8001,827705WSouthern
KabaroleUG.KBKBRUG35741,4008,3613,228WWestern
KalangalaUG.KNKLGUG3616,4005,7162,207CSouth Buganda
KampalaUG.KMKLAUG37773,50023892CCentral
KamuliUG.KLKLIUG38480,7004,3481,679EBusoga
KapchorwaUG.KCKAPUG39116,3001,738671EEastern
KaseseUG.KSKASUG40343,0003,2051,237WWestern
KibaaleUG.KIKLEUG41219,3004,7181,822WWestern
KibogaUG.KGKIBUG42140,8003,7741,457CNorth Buganda
KisoroUG.KRKISUG43184,900662256WSouthern
KitgumUG.KTKITUG44350,30016,1366,230NNorthern
KotidoUG.KOKOTUG45190,70013,2085,100NKaramoja
KumiUG.KUKUMUG46237,0002,8611,105EEastern
LiraUG.LILIRUG47498,3007,2512,800NNorthern
LuweroUG.LULUWUG48449,2009,1983,551CNorth Buganda
MasakaUG.MAMSKUG49831,30010,6114,097CSouth Buganda
MasindiUG.MSMSIUG50253,5009,3263,601WWestern
MbaleUG.MLMBLUG51706,6002,546983EEastern
MbararaUG.MRMBRUG52929,60010,8394,185WSouthern
MorotoUG.MOMORUG53171,50014,1135,449NKaramoja
MoyoUG.MYMOYUG54178,5005,0061,933NNile
MpigiUG.MPMPIUG55915,4006,2222,402CCentral
MubendeUG.MUMUBUG56497,5006,5362,524CNorth Buganda
MukonoUG.MKMUKUG57816,20014,2425,499CNorth Buganda
NebbiUG.NENEBUG58315,9002,8911,116NNile
PallisaUG.PAPALUG60356,0001,919741EEastern
RakaiUG.RARAKUG61382,0004,9731,920CSouth Buganda
RukungiriUG.RURUKUG62388,0002,7531,063WSouthern
SorotiUG.SOSORUG63430,90010,0603,884EEastern
TororoUG.TOTORUG64554,0002,6341,017EEastern
38 districts16,583,000241,03893,065
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4.
  • Population: 1991-01-12 census (preliminary?)
  • Reg: Region (C = Central, E = Eastern, N = Northern, W = Western)
  • Capitals: Capitals have the same names as their districts, except Kabarole (capital Fort Portal).
  • Former: Pre-1990 province from which the district was formed.
  1. 1994: Ntungamo district formed by taking parts of Bushenyi and Mbarara.
  2. 1997-03-20: Adjumani district split from Moyo (former FIPS code UG54); Bugiri split from Iganga (UG32); Busia split from Tororo (UG64); Katakwi split from Soroti (UG63); Nakasongola split from Luwero (UG48); Sembabule split from Masaka (UG49). The following table shows the resulting situation. (Source [1].)
DistrictHASCISOFIPSPopulationArea(km.²)Area(mi.²)Reg
AdjumaniUG.ADADJUG6596,2642,8881,115N
ApacUG.APAPAUG26454,5045,8872,273N
AruaUG.ARARUUG27637,9417,5952,932N
BugiriUG.BGBUGUG66239,3071,453561E
BundibugyoUG.BNBUNUG28116,5662,097810W
BushenyiUG.BSBUSUG29579,1373,8271,478W
BusiaUG.BUBUAUG67163,597705272E
GuluUG.GUGULUG30338,42711,5604,463N
HoimaUG.HOHOIUG31197,8513,5631,376W
IgangaUG.IGIGAUG68706,4763,3701,301E
JinjaUG.JIJINUG33289,476677261E
KabaleUG.KAKBLUG34417,2181,695654W
KabaroleUG.KBKBRUG35746,8008,1093,131W
KalangalaUG.KNKLGUG3616,371432167C
KampalaUG.KMKLAUG37774,24116965C
KamuliUG.KLKLIUG38485,2143,3321,286E
KapchorwaUG.KCKAPUG39116,7021,738671E
KaseseUG.KSKASUG40343,6012,7241,052W
KatakwiUG.KWKATUG69144,5974,6471,794E
KibaaleUG.KIKLEUG41220,2614,2081,625W
KibogaUG.KGKIBUG42141,6073,8721,495C
KisoroUG.KRKISUG43186,681620239W
KitgumUG.KTKITUG44357,18416,1366,230N
KotidoUG.KOKOTUG45196,00613,2085,100N
KumiUG.KUKUMUG46236,6942,457949E
LiraUG.LILIRUG47500,9656,1512,375N
LuweroUG.LULUWUG70349,1945,3602,070C
MasakaUG.MAMSKUG71694,6973,2141,241C
MasindiUG.MSMSIUG50260,7968,4583,266W
MbaleUG.MLMBLUG51710,9802,504967E
MbararaUG.MRMBRUG52798,7749,7333,758W
MorotoUG.MOMORUG53174,41714,1135,449N
MoyoUG.MYMOYUG7279,3811,780687N
MpigiUG.MPMPIUG55913,8674,5141,743C
MubendeUG.MUMUBUG56500,9765,9492,297C
MukonoUG.MKMUKUG57824,6044,5941,774C
NakasongolaUG.NANAKUG73100,4973,1791,227C
NebbiUG.NENEBUG58316,8662,7811,074N
NtungamoUG.NTNTUUG59289,2221,981765W
PallisaUG.PAPALUG60357,6561,564604E
RakaiUG.RARAKUG61383,5012,317895C
RukungiriUG.RURUKUG62390,7802,584998W
SembabuleUG.SESEMUG74144,0393,8891,502C
SorotiUG.SOSORUG75285,7933,8791,498E
TororoUG.TOTORUG76391,9771,631630E
45 districts16,671,705236,03691,134
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4.
  • Population: 1991-01-12 census.
  • Area: Land area only, except that the totals include water area.
  • Reg: Region to which the district belongs: C = Central, E = Eastern,
    N = Northern, W = Western.
  • Capitals: Capitals have the same name as their districts, except Kabarole
    (capital Fort Portal) and Sembabule (capitals Mawogola and Lwemiyaga).
  1. 2000-11-28: The Uganda Parliament passed a motion to create 11 new districts: Kamwenge, Kayunga, Kyenjojo, Mayuge, Pader, Sironko, Wakiso, and Yumbe, retroactive to 2000-07-01; and Kaberamaido, Kanungu, and Nakapiripirit, effective 2001-07-01. Kamwenge district split from Kabarole; Kayunga split from Mukono; Kyenjojo split from Kabarole; Mayuge split from Iganga; Pader split from Kitgum; Sironko split from Mbale; Wakiso split from Mpigi; Yumbe split from Arua.
  2. 2001-07-01: Kaberamaido district split from Soroti; Kanungu split from Rukungiri; Nakapiripirit split from Moroto. The following table shows the districts at that date. (Source [3].)
DistrictHASCISOFIPSPop-2002Pop-1991Pop-1980
AdjumaniUG.AD301UG65201,49396,26448,789
ApacUG.AP302UG26676,244454,504313,333
AruaUG.AA303UG77855,055538,147394,303
BugiriUG.BG201UG66426,522239,307155,513
BundibugyoUG.BN401UG28212,884116,566112,216
BushenyiUG.BS402UG29723,427579,137408,663
BusiaUG.BU202UG67228,181163,597126,184
GuluUG.GU304UG30468,407338,427270,085
HoimaUG.HO403UG31349,204197,851142,247
IgangaUG.IA203UG78716,311489,627360,312
JinjaUG.JI204UG33413,937289,476228,520
KabaleUG.KA404UG34471,783417,218328,757
KabaroleUG.BR405UG79359,180299,573224,638
KaberamaidoUG.KD213UG80122,92481,53579,344
KalangalaUG.KN101UG3636,66116,3718,575
KampalaUG.KM102UG371,208,544774,241458,503
KamuliUG.KL205UG38712,079485,214349,549
KamwengeUG.KE413UG81295,313201,654129,022
KanunguUG.UU414UG82205,095160,708118,658
KapchorwaUG.KC206UG39193,510116,70273,967
KaseseUG.KS406UG40532,993343,601277,697
KatakwiUG.KW207UG69307,032144,597177,447
KayungaUG.KY112UG83297,081236,177194,793
KibaaleUG.KI407UG41413,353220,261152,054
KibogaUG.KG103UG42231,718141,607138,676
KisoroUG.KR408UG43219,427186,681126,664
KitgumUG.TG305UG84286,122175,587145,821
KotidoUG.KO306UG45596,130196,006161,445
KumiUG.KU208UG46388,015236,694239,539
KyenjojoUG.KJ415UG85380,362245,573166,161
LiraUG.LI307UG47757,763500,965370,252
LuweroUG.LU104UG70474,627349,194338,508
MasakaUG.MA105UG71767,759694,697520,312
MasindiUG.MS409UG50469,865260,796223,230
MayugeUG.MG214UG86326,567216,849128,056
MbaleUG.MB209UG87720,925498,675372,169
MbararaUG.MR410UG521,089,051782,797590,998
MorotoUG.MT308UG88170,50696,83395,863
MoyoUG.MY309UG72199,91279,38157,703
MpigiUG.MI106UG89414,757350,980271,775
MubendeUG.MU107UG56706,256500,976371,584
MukonoUG.MN108UG90807,923588,427439,482
NakapiripiritUG.NP311UG91153,86277,58492,778
NakasongolaUG.NA109UG73125,297100,49773,966
NebbiUG.NE310UG58433,466316,866233,000
NtungamoUG.NT411UG59386,816305,199213,161
PaderUG.PD312UG92293,679181,597162,890
PallisaUG.PA210UG60522,254357,656261,183
RakaiUG.RA110UG61471,806383,501274,558
RukungiriUG.RK412UG93308,696230,072177,901
SembabuleUG.SE111UG74184,178144,039102,269
SironkoUG.SI215UG94291,906212,305184,772
SorotiUG.SR211UG95371,986204,258219,838
TororoUG.TO212UG76559,528391,977281,043
WakisoUG.WA113UG96957,280562,887389,433
YumbeUG.YU313UG97253,32599,79477,980
56 districts24,748,97716,671,70512,636,179
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • Pop-2002: 2002-09-13 census.
  • Pop-1991: 1991-01-12 census, proleptic for new districts.
  • Pop-1980: 1980-01-18 census, proleptic for new districts.

 

Note: The first digit of a district's ISO code can also be used to find its region: 1 = Central, 2 = Eastern, 3 = Northern, 4 = Western. The ISO codes are also used by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics for coding census data, except for one transposition: according to source [17], the UBOS codes for Pader, Yumbe, and Nakapiripirit are 311, 312, and 313, respectively. Their ISO codes are 312, 313, and 311, respectively. The ISO codes were intended to match the census codes, so there's a mistake somewhere.

  1. 2005-07-01: Fourteen new districts created. According to source [14], Amolatar district was created by taking Kyoga county from Lira; Amuria district created by taking Amuria and Kapelebyong counties from Katakwi; Budaka district created by taking Budaka county and Kakoro, Kabwangasi, Kirika and Kadama sub-counties from Pallisa; Bukwo district created by taking Kongasis county from Kapchorwa; Butaleja district created by taking Bunyole county from Tororo; Ibanda district created by taking Ibanda county from Mbarara; Kaabong district created by taking Dodoth county from Kotido; Isingiro district created by taking Kabingo and Bukanga counties from Mbarara; Kaliro district created by taking Bulamogi county from Kamuli; Kiruhuura district created by taking Kazo and Nyabushozi counties from Mbarara; Koboko district created by taking Koboko county from Arua; Manafwa district created by taking Bubulo and Manjiya counties from Mbale; Mityana district created by taking Mityana and Busujju counties from Mubende; and Nakaseke district created by taking Nakaseke county from Luwero. There is, however, an unresolved discrepancy with source [10]. That list substitutes Isingiro district for Budaka and Kabingo. Source [11] says that Budaka and Tororo were to be reconsidered because of boundary disputes. It lists Mityana among the districts to be formed in 2006; and it lists Amuria as being created in both 2005 and 2006. Source [12] has more details.
  2. 2006-07-01: Seven new districts created. According to source [14], Abim district was created by taking Labwor county from Kotido (former HASC code UG.KZ); Buliisa district created by taking Buliisa county from Masindi; Namutumba district created by taking Busiki county from Iganga; Dokolo district created by taking Dokolo county from Lira (UG.LR); Amuru district created by taking Kilak and Nwoya counties from Gulu; Nyadri district created by taking Maracha and Terego counties from Arua (UG.AU); Oyam district created by taking Oyam county from Apac. The original plan included a new district to be created by taking Tororo county from Tororo, but this was deferred. Source [18] says that the district was in fact created, but it hasn't been given a name or headquarters yet. Amuru district was probably called Kilak for a while.
  3. Note: The creation of Nyadri was controversial. Some people wanted Terego county to become a separate district; others wanted it to remain part of Arua. On the other hand, some people in Arua didn't want to take Terego back. There was also disagreement over the location of the capital. The Ugandan High Court eventually ruled (2009-03-27) against Nyadri (the city) as capital. Nyadri (the district) has been administered from Arua for some time.
  4. 2007-07-01: Three new districts created by act of Parliament, passed 2006-07-13 (source [8]). Bukedea district created by taking Bukedea county from Kumi (former HASC code UG.KU); Bududa district created by taking Manjiya county from Manafwa (UG.MF); Lyantonde district created by taking Kabula county from Rakai (UG.RA). At this point there were 79 districts plus Kampala.
  5. Note: In the following table, Lucas Snyder computed the populations of the newly created districts (2005-07-01 and 2006-07-01). In most cases, he was able to calculate the populations by using the populations of the individual counties that were taken to make each new district. The exception is Budaka district, which included some sub-counties of Pallisa district. The total 2002 population for Budaka and Pallisa is known to be correct.
DistrictHASCISOFIPSPopulationReg
AbimUG.AI317UGB658,590N
AdjumaniUG.AD301UG98201,493N
AmolatarUG.AT314UGB796,374N
AmuriaUG.AM216UGB8183,817E
AmuruUG.KQ319UGB9177,783N
ApacUG.AC302UG99405,524N
AruaUG.AW303UGA1413,113N
BudakaUG.BD217UGC1* 221,525E
BududaUG.BA223UGC2124,368E
BugiriUG.BG201UG66426,522E
BukedeaUG.BE224UGC3122,527E
BukwoUG.BW218UGC449,826E
BuliisaUG.BL419UGC564,823W
BundibugyoUG.BN401UG28212,884W
BushenyiUG.BS402UG29723,427W
BusiaUG.BU202UG67228,181E
ButalejaUG.BJ219UGC6160,927E
DokoloUG.DO318UGC7131,047N
GuluUG.GL304UGA2290,624N
HoimaUG.HO403UG31349,204W
IbandaUG.IB416UGC8198,043W
IgangaUG.IN203UGA3547,155E
IsingiroUG.NG417UGC9318,913W
JinjaUG.JI204UG33413,937E
KaabongUG.AB315UGD1379,775N
KabaleUG.KA404UG34471,783W
KabaroleUG.BR405UG79359,180W
KaberamaidoUG.KD213UG80122,924E
KalangalaUG.KN101UG3636,661C
KaliroUG.RO220UGD2153,513E
KampalaUG.KM102UG371,208,544C
KamuliUG.KX205UGA4558,566E
KamwengeUG.KE413UG81295,313W
KanunguUG.UU414UG82205,095W
KapchorwaUG.KP206UGA5143,684E
KaseseUG.KS406UG40532,993W
KatakwiUG.KK207UGA6123,215E
KayungaUG.KY112UG83297,081C
KibaaleUG.KI407UG41413,353W
KibogaUG.KG103UG42231,718C
KiruhuuraUG.KH418UGD3212,087W
KisoroUG.KR408UG43219,427W
KitgumUG.TG305UG84286,122N
KobokoUG.OK316UGD4131,604N
KotidoUG.KF306UGA7157,765N
KumiUG.KV208UG46265,488E
KyenjojoUG.KJ415UG85380,362W
LiraUG.LA307UGA8530,342N
LuweroUG.LW104UGA9336,616C
LyantondeUG.LY116UGD566,175C
ManafwaUG.MW221UGD6264,383E
MasakaUG.MA105UG71767,759C
MasindiUG.MC409UG50405,042W
MayugeUG.MG214UG86326,567E
MbaleUG.ME209UGB1332,174E
MbararaUG.RR410UGB2360,008W
MityanaUG.TY114UGD8269,763C
MorotoUG.MT308UG88170,506N
MoyoUG.MY309UGB3199,912N
MpigiUG.MI106UG89414,757C
MubendeUG.MD107UGB4436,493C
MukonoUG.MN108UG90807,923C
NakapiripiritUG.NP311UG91153,862N
NakasekeUG.NK115UGD9138,011C
NakasongolaUG.NA109UG73125,297C
NamutumbaUG.BK222UGE1169,156E
NebbiUG.NE310UG58433,466N
NtungamoUG.NT411UG59386,816W
NyadriUG.MH320UGD7310,338N
OyamUG.OY321UGE2270,720N
PaderUG.PD312UG92293,679N
PallisaUG.PL210UGB5* 300,729E
RakaiUG.RI110UG61405,631C
RukungiriUG.RK412UG93308,696W
SembabuleUG.SE111UG74184,178C
SironkoUG.SI215UG94291,906E
SorotiUG.SR211UG95371,986E
TororoUG.TR212UG76398,601E
WakisoUG.WA113UG96957,280C
YumbeUG.YU313UG97253,325N
80 districts24,748,977
  • District: Kampala is a city.
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • ISO: Codes from ISO 3166-2.
  • FIPS: "Geopolitical Entities and Codes."
  • Population: 2002-09-13 census (calculated, *estimated)
  • Reg: ISO code for region the district belongs to:
    C = Central, E = Eastern, N = Northern, W = Western.
  • Capitals: Have the same name as the district, except
    for Kilak in Amuru, Fort Portal in Kabarole, and the
    dual capitals Mawogola and Lwemiyaga in Sembabule.
  1. 2009-07-01: Amudat district formed by taking Upe County from Nakapiripirit district; Buikwe district formed by taking Buikwe County from Mukono district; Buyende district formed by taking Budiope County from Kamuli district; Kyegegwa district formed by taking Kyaka County from Kyenjojo district; Lamwo district formed by taking Lamwo County from Kitgum district; Otuke district formed by taking Otuke County from Lira district; Zombo district formed by taking Okoro County from Nebbi district.
  2. 2010-07-01: Agago district split from Pader district; Alebtong district formed by taking Moroto County from Lira district; Buhweju district formed by taking Buhweju County from Bushenyi district; Bukomansimbi district formed by taking Bukomansimbi County from Masaka district; Bulambuli district formed by taking Bulambuli County from Sironko district; Butambala district formed by taking Butambala County from Mpigi district; Buvuma district formed by taking Buvuma County from Mukono district; Gomba district formed by taking Gomba County from Mpigi district; Kalungu district formed by taking Kalungu County from Masaka district; Kibuku district formed by taking Kibuku County from Pallisa district; Kiryandongo district formed by taking Kibanda County from Masindi district; Kole district formed by taking Kole County from Apac district; Kween district formed by taking Kween County from Kapchorwa district; Kyankwanzi district formed by taking Kiboga County West Constituency from Kiboga district; Luuka district formed by taking Luuka County from Iganga district; Lwengo district split from Masaka district; Mitoma district formed by taking Ruhindi County from Bushenyi district; Namayingo district formed by taking Bukooli South Constituency from Bugiri district; Napak district split from Moroto district; Ngora district formed by taking Ngora County from Kumi district; Ntoroko district formed by taking Ntoroko County from Bundibugyo district; Nwoya district split from Amuru district; Rubirizi district split from Bushenyi district; Serere district formed by taking Kasilo and Serere Counties from Soroti district; Sheema district formed by taking Sheema County from Bushenyi district. Source [24] talks about changing the name of Luuka to Kiyunga, but this doesn't seem to have happened.

Other names of subdivisions: 

Until recently, all districts had the same names as their headquarters (capitals). This rule had collapsed by 2010; for one thing, there were two capitals named Kibuku. Some of the variant names are due to confusion between the name of the district and that of its capital.

  1. Alebtong: Aleptong (variant)
  2. Amuru: Kilak (variant)
  3. Bukomansimbi: Bukomansibi (variant)
  4. Bukwo: Bukwa (variant)
  5. Buliisa: Bulisa (variant)
  6. East Mengo: East Buganda (variant)
  7. Isingiro: Kabingo (variant)
  8. Kibaale: Kibale (variant)
  9. Kiruhuura: Kiruhura (variant)
  10. Kiryandongo: Kiryadongo (variant)
  11. Kyankwanzi: Kyakwanzi (variant)
  12. Luuka: Kiyunga (variant)
  13. Luwero: Luweero (variant)
  14. Manafwa: Bubuulo, Manafa (variant)
  15. Masaka: Masaka (variant)
  16. Mitoma: Mitooma (variant)
  17. Namutumba: Busiki (variant)
  18. Nyadri: Maracha-Terego, Maracha (variant)
  19. Sembabule: Ssembabule (variant)
  20. West Mengo: West Buganda (variant)
  21. Zombo: Zumbo (variant)

Sources: 

  1. [1] 1991 census data from Uganda Bureau of Statistics  (retrieved 2001-06-20).
  2. [2] 2002 preliminary census data from http://www.ubos.org/2002censuspreliminarytable.pdf (now a dead link, retrieved 2003-09-13).
  3. [3] 1980 and 1991 populations from http://www.ubos.org/appendix1.pdf, Provisional Summary tables in Appendix 1 of Uganda's 2002 census (dead link, retrieved 2004-01-22). Populations proleptic to reflect the geography as of 2001.
  4. [4] Geographic Note GE-29 and Geographic Note GE-40. Office of the Geographer, U.S. State Department.
  5. [5] "Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Local Government System" (RCI). Government of Uganda, 1987.
  6. [6] Atlas of Uganda. 1967.
  7. [7] "Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features". (U.S.) Defense Intelligence Agency, 1972-09-29.
  8. [8] Ugandan Hansard  (retrieved 2010-02-20).
  9. [9] Green, Elliott, "District Creation and Decentralisation in Uganda ". Crisis States Research Centre, Development Studies Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, 2008-01. Examines the reasons behind the rapid creation of new districts.
  10. [10] Uganda electoral commission page at http://ec.or.ug/vpd.pdf (dead link, retrieved 2006-03-07) had a list of districts as of 2006-02-15.
  11. [11] The (Uganda) Weekly Observer, article dated 2005-08-04.
  12. [12] Press review (July 13-30, 2005)  from the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry (retrieved 2006-07-31).
  13. [13] The Ministry of Local Government website, at http://www.molg.go.ug/LGlist.htm, said that Bududa and Bukedea were "not yet approved" (dead link, retrieved 2007-05-19).
  14. [14] New Vision  (dated 2005-08-08, retrieved 2006-03-07) has a discussion of issues in district creation, and a timeline that appears to be partly copied from the Statoids site.
  15. [15] The Uganda Parliament website has a simplified abridgement of the Constitution  as of 2006-02-15. On pp. 71-73 (following the page numbering in the document) there is a schedule listing 80 districts (retrieved 2010-02-21).
  16. [16] Allafrica.com  has an article dated 2009-12-16 describing parliamentary action on new districts (retrieved 2010-02-21). The same site has a recapitulation of the 2009 session of Parliament , stating the same conclusions.
  17. [17] 2002 Uganda Census Code List  (retrieved 2010-05-15).
  18. [18] Evolution of Uganda's Districts  is a research piece in The Independent, a Ugandan news medium (dated 2009-06-30, retrieved 2010-12-09). Many of the facts there appear to be derived directly from the Statoids site.
  19. [19] List of Local Government Districts  on the Ministry of Local Government website (retrieved 2012-09-08) currently shows 111 districts and one city.
  20. [20] "Parliament considers creation of new districts," Uganda Parliament (http://www.parliament.go.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=555&Itemid=65, dead link; dated 2008?-12-08, retrieved 2010-05-15)
  21. [21] Daily Monitor , Letter to the Editor (retrieved 2010-05-15).
  22. [22] "Government asks Parliament to create 20 new districts," Uganda Parliament (http://www.parliament.go.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=532&Itemid=65, dead link; retrieved 2010-05-15)
  23. [23] The Ministry of Local Government website had a map showing 111 districts and one city council (http://molg.go.ug/2010/08/04/latest-map-of-uganda-july-2010/, dead link, retrieved 2011-06-20).
  24. [24] Hansard  (record of Uganda Parliamentary debate; dated 2009-12-08, retrieved 2012-09-22).
  25. [25] Wikipedia, Districts of Uganda  (retrieved 2012-09-14).
  26. [26] National Population and Housing Census 2014: Main Report , Uganda Bureau of Statistics (retrieved 2016-04-01)
Back to main statoids page Last updated: 2016-04-01
Copyright © 1999, 2001-2008, 2010-2012, 2014-2016 by Gwillim Law.