Population Dynamics and Prospects for Economic Development in Uganda: Assessing opportunities for the demographic dividend

The association between population growth and economic development has been debated for a long time. This effect is expected to be strongest in developing countries with persistent high fertility and population growth rates, such as Uganda. This paper investigated whether or not Uganda will experience a demographic dividend and if so when this is likely to occur. The paper also investigated the likely effects of Uganda’s youthful population on the education and health sectors. The paper used the cohort component projection to project the population of Uganda and assess whether or not it would achieve the demographic dividend. The results show that at the current level of fertility Uganda’s population will continue to grow and will reach a high of 125 million by 2072 under the low fertility assumptions and Uganda will not begin to enjoy demographic dividend until after 2072. This could adversely affect the attainment of the demographic dividend.