Urbanisation in Uganda growing at the fastest speed, what used to be small trading centers are towns and large municipalities. The Population of Cities and Towns in Uganda is increasing rapidly.
A lot of youths are heading to urban centers in search of greener pastures which in turn increases the number of urban dwellers providing an advantage of market for goods and services, affordable labour etc. but also coming along with challenges like unemployment, poor sanitation and high crime rates.
Mukono, Nansana, Wakiso, Mbarara and Hoima are some of the fastest growing urban centers with the first three rising because of proximity to Kampala, Mbarara due to increased importance as a regional transport, trade and financial hub, serving as a gateway to most towns in Western Uganda in addition to Rwanda, Tanzania and Eastern Congo.
Hoima on the other hand is fast rising due to discovery of Oil leading to increased investment by both the government and private sector in infrastructure and businesses.
Here are the top 10 Cities and Towns with the Highest Population in Uganda.
10. Mbarara City: 261,656 people. Mbarara is the regional capital of Ankole Sub Region, the city has various regional offices of national and international bodies which is increasing the city’s importance.
The city additionally hosts various educational centers like Universities and Top Secondary schools in the country. Growing with light industries and the service sector, Mbarara is always said to be the second in importance after Kampala.
With huge space for expansion, planned facelift of Mbarara Airport to international standard, Mbarara’s importance will continue to increase and so will population.
9. Mbale City: 290,414 people. Located in Eastern Uganda, Bugisu Sub Region, Mbale City a regional city and an industrial hub. The town commands both heavy and light industries which employ thousands of the city’s population.
Mbale was elevated to the city status in 2020 and has been rising at a speed higher than the national average. It is the nearest city to Kenya in a distance of 50KMs from the Malaba border.
8. Masaka City: 294,166 people. A regional capital and the largest city in Buganda region, Masaka is one of the oldest municipalities in Uganda whose growth was hampered by the Tanzania – Uganda war in 1979.
The city’s population is mainly employed in trade and Service sector.
7. Mukono Municipality: 305,945 people. Mukono is currently the fastest growing urban centre in the country. The whole district of Mukono has a population of 1,000,000 people up from 930,000 people in the 2024 population census. The municipality however has 30% of the residents in the whole district.
Read also: 10 Most Populous African Countries in 2026
Rapid population growth is due the areas proximity to Kampala, serving as the residential hub of Kampala workers and also works as the industrial hub with industries ranging from light to heavy industries.
6. Kyengera Town: 311,112 people. This is a suburb of Kampala City and was formerly Nsangi Sub County located in Wakiso District. The town’s main business centres are Kyengera, Nsangi, Nabbingo and Maya along Masaka road.
The high population of the area is due to high demand of residential units by people who work from Kampala. The place has more night population than day population.
5. Arua City: 384,656 people. This is the largest city in the West Nile. The city is the regional capital of West Nile and its location makes it a regional trade centre with North Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan.
Main economic activities in the city are Trade and Commerce, tourism, light industries and service sector.
4. Makindye- Ssabagabo: 439,605 people. This is a Municipality in Wakiso Uganda. The municipality takes the neighbourhoods of Masajja, Najjanankumbi, Busaabala, Gangu, Ndejje, Kanaaba, Kikajjo, Zanta and all nearby villages but does not include Makindye Division of Kampala.
The reason to the rise of population is nearness to Kampala making it one of the key residential areas of Kampala day population.
With the opening of Entebbe Express whose Eastern Arm transects the municipality and tarmacking of Busabala road, the area is opened up for residential purposes and the population is expected to increase at the fastest speed possible.
3. Kira: 459,827 people. This also a Municipality in Wakiso. It has neighborhoods of Kirinya, Namugongo, Kyaliwajjala, Namboole, Bweyogerere, Kireka all which are densely populated residential and business areas.
The place is a home to popular religious and social sites like Mandela National Stadium – Namboole a 45,000-seater multi-purpose stadium, Namugongo Martyrs Shrine a Catholic pilgrimage site that attracts up to 2 million pilgrims every year and many others.
2. Nansana: 692,478 people. Nansana is also a Municipality in Wakiso. The town is also a satellite town of Kampala with 4 division of Nansana, Nabweru, Busukuma and Gombe.
The place has high population areas and are currently facing challenges that come along like expensive housing units, high crime rate and limited infrastructure. Nevertheless, attempts to solve these problems are being undertaken by both the central government and the local municipality.
This is Nansana Heights.
1. Kampala City: 1,797,722 people. This is the largest and capital city of Uganda. The city has day population of up to 4 million people while the metropolitan which encompasses the areas of Wakiso, parts of Mpigi, Mukono and Luwero has over 6 million people.
The city works as the Judicial and Legislature capital and also hosts all national headquarters the National, Regional and International bodies and Multinational companies.
Kampala is the chief financial center of the country with more than half of all branches of Commercial banks in the country.
Four of the 10 top towns with the highest population are municipalities in Wakiso, namely Kira, Kyengera, Makindye Ssabagabo and Nansana. These areas are not stand alone cities and towns but rather continuous settlements following the expansion of Kampala City.
With the Proposal to create a Metropolis/ conurbation of Wakiso into a city, these towns will cease to exist and become divisions in the new created city that will have over 4 Million people. But until then, they are still ranking among top 10 cities in Uganda.
Jinja City, Hoima City, Gulu City and Lira City are the other Uganda cities with Population above 200,000 people and it won’t be a surprise if one of these makes it in the top 10 by 2030.
