List of cities and towns in Uganda


This is a list of cities and towns in Uganda: The population data are for 2014, except where otherwise indicated. The references from which the estimated populations are sourced are listed in each article for the cities and towns where the population estimates are given.

Twenty largest cities by population

The following population numbers are from the August 2014 national census, as documented in the final report of November 2016, by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
RankName2014 CensusCoordinates
1Kampala1,507,080
2Nansana365,124
3Kira317,157
4Ssabagabo283,272
5Mbarara195,531
6Mukono162,710
7Njeru159,549
8Gulu150,306
9Lugazi114,524
10Masaka103,227
11Kasese101,065
12Hoima100,099
13Lira99,392
14Mityana95,428
15Mubende103,473
16Masindi94,438
17Mbale92,857
18 Jinja76,188
19Entebbe70,219
20Kitgum44,719

Cities

In May 2019, the Cabinet of Uganda approved the creation of 15 cities, in a phased manner, over the course of the next one to three years, as illustrated in the table below. The 7 of the 15 cities started operations on 1 July 2020 as approved by the Parliament of Uganda in an effort to decongest the capital, Kampala City.
RankCityRegionEffective Date
1KampalaCentral9 October 1962
2Fort PortalWestern1 July 2020
3AruaNorthern1 July 2020
4GuluNorthern1 July 2020
5Jinja Eastern1 July 2020
6MbararaWestern1 July 2020
7MbaleEastern1 July 2020
8MasakaCentral1 July 2020
9HoimaWestern1 July 2021
10EntebbeCentral1 July 2022
11Lira Northern1 July 2022
12KabaleWestern1 July 2023
13Moroto Northern1 July 2023
14NakasongolaCentral1 July 2023
15Wakiso Central1 July 2023
16SorotiEastern1 July 2023

Cities and towns