1. Population

1.1 Population Distribution

The main population indicators presented in this booklet are intended to portray an overview and trend of the situation of women and men regarding various aspects of life.

Table 1.1: Population by Census Years

Year	Total No. (000)	Percent
		Women	Men
1959	6450	49.8	50.2
1969	9535	49.5	50.5
1980	12636	50.5	49.5
1991	16672	50.9	49.1

Source: 1991 Population and Housing census Analytical report Vol. 1.

Table 1.1 shows that in 1959 and 1969, women constituted slightly lower percentage than men. However, the reverse is observed for the census years 1980 and 1991. This reverse trend could be attributed to the civil strife Uganda went through during the two decades preceding the 1991 census, in which more men than women died.

1.2 Population Growth

Between the period 1949 to 1959 and 1959 to 1969, the average annual growth rate for women was lower than that for men.

Fig. 1.1: Average Annual Growth Rate

Between 1969 to 1980 and 1980 to 1991 the annual growth rate for women was higher than that for men as illustrated in Figure 1.1 above. Generally the annual population growth rate is declining and this may be because of the rising use of contraceptives, hence declining fertility.

1.3 Age Distribution

Table 1.2: Population distribution by broad age groups - Percent distribution (%)

Age Group	1959		1969		1991
	W	M	W	M	W	M
0-14	41.2	41.7	46.1	46.3	46.4	48.2
15-64	56.9	56.0	50.5	49.4	50.4	48.3
65+	1.9	2.3	3.4	4.3	3.2	3.5
Total (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100
Total (nos) '000's	3,212	3,238	4,720	4,815	8,486	8,186

Source: Population census 1959, 1969 and 1991

Note: The available data from the 1980 census results are limited to total population by sex and therefore cannot provide the break down by age.

Percentage distribution of age by broad age groups (table 1.2) shows that the proportion of population under the age 15 has been more than 40 percent since 1959.

This is a significant work burden on women since they are expected to provide most care for dependent children. The data farther shows that the potentially economically active population (15-64) years, has a slightly higher proportion of women than men in all the census years. This indicates that there are more women in the potentially economically active population and yet women's opportunities to participate in economic activities are limited by cultural attitudes which confine them to the domestic sphere.

Fig. 1.2: Population Pyramid 1969

Fig. 1.3: Population Pyramid 1991

The population pyramids Figure 1.2 and 1.3 above show that the age and sex structure has not changed over the years. The broad base indicates more children within the age group 0-4 compared to the rest of the age groups.

1.4 Rural and Urban Distribution

Table 1.3: Population by Rural-Urban - Percent distribution (%)

Rural-Urban Residence	1969		1980		1991
	W	M	W	M	W	M
Rural	94	93	93	92	88	89
Urban	6	7	7	8	12	11

Source: Population census 1969, 1980 and 1991

Table 1.3 shows that in 1969 and 1980, over 90% of the population lived in the rural areas. The 1969 and 1980 census results show that there were more men than women living in the urban areas, but the 1991 census results showed that the situation had reversed. It is worth noting that there has been a steady increase in the urban population.

1.5 Internal Migration

Lifetime Internal Migrant:

Person whose place of birth is different from place of enumeration.

Internal migration affects population of the sub-division of the country. Table 1.4 shows that between age 0-24 years more men migrate compared to their women counterparts. This may be because men tend to migrate around that age in search of employment while their female counterparts are helping at home or are married within their locality. Above the age 25 the reverse is observed. This probably could be due to the higher divorce/separation and widowed rate among women and also at this age women migrate in search of employment.

Table 1.4: Lifetime Internal Migrant by Broad Age Groups - Percent distribution (%)

Age group	Women	Men
0-24	48.2	52.0
25-44	34.9	32.9
45-64	12.7	11.3
65+	4.4	3.9

Source: The 1991 Population and Housing census