The aftermath of the release of the 2024 Nation Census report was dominated by discussions about the errors in the ethnic data errors. This effectively hampered the in-depth analysis of the report.
Little attention from academics, scholars, and media was paid to the depth of data that this report was providing. The data the report holds shows significant changes in the Ugandan society’s standard of living and should be studied and used for the country’s greater good.
The 2024 census report when carefully analyzed is an excellent tool for planning at both national and local levels.
The Census report has data on various categories which include; Households and household characteristics, agriculture, education and literacy, subsistence economy, food security, and Information and Communication Technologies, among others.
These are substantial areas of great interest whose data was compiled during the census and key markers of the country’s growth and economy. It is useful for comparative purposes of where we have been and where we are going as a nation.
Housing remains “a basic human right, essential for the well-being of all mankind” and in Uganda, the improved numbers in this category have a profound impact on the health, welfare, and economic productivity of the local citizens in line with SDG Goal 11 which emphasizes “the importance of ensuring access to safe, affordable and adequate housing”.
The housing sector in Uganda has undergone remarkable change growing its contribution to the country’s GDP to an average of 5-7%.
This also impacts sector components such as construction material, labor, and spending on housing services such as rents, rental tax, and utilities paid by the users.
The table below shows several characteristics crucial in analyzing the share of both investment and consumption of utility services that contribute to the annual GDP accounts of the country.
