The Human Development Report (HDR) 2025, titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”, underscores Uganda's significant strides in human development over the past three decades.
Uganda’s Human Development Index (HDI) value improved to 0.582 in 2023 from 0.550 in 2022, resulting in an increase in the country’s ranking to 157th, up from 160th, out of 193 countries worldwide, and the second-best in the East African region after Kenya (0.628). This marks a 70.2% increase since 1990, driven by a 20.7-year gain in life expectancy, 5.8 additional years of schooling, and a 158% rise in GNI per capita. Inequality-adjusted HDI drops to 0.400, reflecting a 31.3% loss due to disparities in health, education, and income—worse than the Sub-Saharan African average. Female HDI was 0.556 compared to Male HDI of 0.612, resulting in a Gender Development Index (GDI) of 0.908. This translates to Gender Inequality Index (GII) score: ~0.524, ranking 141st out of 172 countries—highlighting persistent inequality.
In terms of environmental Footprint, planetary Pressures–adjusted HDI is 0.569, only 2.2% lower than the standard HDI, suggesting that Uganda is exerting relatively modest environmental pressure compared to peers. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions are rising at about 3.1% per year, prompting calls for more sustainable approaches. As a Game-Changer, Uganda must strategically harness AI to boost inclusive growth—technology alone won’t deliver progress. AI rollout needs to be localized (including local languages and cultures), designed to augment jobs (not replace humans) and built on digital skills, especially for women and youth.
The report emphasizes the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in accelerating human development, provided strategic and inclusive policies are implemented. The Report prioritizes National Strategy and Governance, Human Development & Institutional Capacity and Digital Infrastructure & Access as key transformative strategies.
https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025