Uganda gold production and exports: how much is mined, how much is exported, and why they differ

What Uganda records as mine production

These figures come from Uganda's own records, published through its Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) reports and the national statistics office.

These are records of production that passed through the official system. The US Geological Survey estimated Uganda's mine output, mostly artisanal and small-scale, at 1.5 to 3.4 tonnes a year in 2015–2019; that is an estimate, not a record. A large-scale gold mine in Busia District was commissioned in August 2025, with a reported capacity of about 1.2–1.5 tonnes a year.

What Uganda exports

Uganda's gold exports as reported in its customs statistics to UN Comtrade (all forms of gold, calendar years):

Headline figures use different periods. The Bank of Uganda's USD 5.8 billion covers the 12 months to November 2025; some reports call it “2025”. The UN experts give USD 6.4 billion for 2025. Always check which period a figure covers.

2022 is the outlier. Uganda's statistics office recorded only about USD 0.5 million of gold exports that year, and no figure was filed with UN Comtrade. Yet the United Arab Emirates, India and Hong Kong together recorded about 34 tonnes of gold imports from Uganda in 2022. Our reading is that gold kept leaving Uganda but was largely missing from its published trade statistics that year.

Where the exported gold goes

In partner countries' own import statistics, the United Arab Emirates is the main recorded destination for gold from Uganda, followed by India and Hong Kong. Switzerland reports no direct imports of gold from Uganda in UN Comtrade for any year from 2015 to 2025. Partner statistics show the direction of trade, not proof of any single shipment.

Why exports are so much larger than production

The gap is too large to be explained by Ugandan mining. Even using the US Geological Survey's highest estimate of artisanal and small-scale output, plus the new Busia mine at full-year capacity, domestic production could account for only a small fraction of the gold Uganda exports; by our arithmetic, under 10% (at most about 8%) in 2025.

In most years since 2019 (2022 is the exception) Uganda has declared gold imports that roughly match its exports on paper, so on paper it works as a refining and transit hub. But UN experts found that the countries Uganda named as the origins of its 2025 gold imports do not report gold exports to Uganda in their own statistics. They assessed the 2025 surge as largely attributable to gold originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and said the simplest and most consistent explanation is that Uganda's refining sector is predominantly supplied by gold from eastern Congo.

Refining gold in Uganda does not make it Ugandan-mined gold.

What this means if you are offered Ugandan gold

An offer or document describing gold as “Ugandan” may mean exported from Uganda, refined in Uganda or mined in Uganda. Ask which, and ask for the evidence: the export permit and certificate of origin for the consignment, and, if the gold is said to be mined in Uganda, the licensed mine or mineral right it came from.

Buyers downstream will ask the same questions. LBMA's guidance tells refiners to treat as high risk gold claimed to come from a country with limited known reserves, or through a country through which gold from conflict-affected and high-risk areas is known, or reasonably suspected, to transit. UN experts have called for strengthened due diligence by companies sourcing through Uganda. No Ugandan refinery appears on LBMA's Good Delivery List.

See buying gold from Africa for the rules in destination markets, gold doré for how unrefined gold is valued and why unrefined Ugandan gold does not match the export route the ministry describes, and our scams guide for checks on a seller.

How reliable are these figures?

Uganda's gold statistics come from several series, and they do not always agree. Customs, central bank, tax authority and audit figures use different periods (calendar year, fiscal year, rolling 12 months). The statistics office printed a figure of 3 tonnes of production for 2020, which conflicts with every other source and is probably a unit error. Uganda's import records give different weights for the same imports, so import and export weights cannot be compared directly. Partner countries' statistics sometimes differ from Uganda's own. We state the source and period for every figure on this page.