Uganda hosts more than 1.7 million refugees — UNHCR

15 October 2025, 11:42 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Uganda is now home to more than 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The majority of refugees come from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Sudan, and are hosted in districts such as Koboko and Maracha. This makes Uganda the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa and the sixth largest globally.

Uganda’s open-door policy provides refugees with access to education, healthcare, employment, and land for agriculture. However, the Office of the Prime Minister notes that additional support is needed to sustain these services.

A refugee from the DRC, Mahoro, a single mother of eight, has rebuilt her life in Uganda by working as a bodaboda rider, highlighting the resilience and determination of many refugees in the country.

Despite these efforts, overcrowding and food shortages remain major challenges. Some camps accommodate hundreds more people than planned, and funding cuts have reduced food rations to as little as five US dollars per month.

The UNHCR has warned that funding for refugee programmes in Uganda is running low, urging the international community to provide urgent support to sustain essential services and alleviate the country’s humanitarian burden.