UGANDA’S population increased last year by more than a million, according to a report.
The population, the report added, will reach 29.6 million, up from last year’s 28.4 million. At 3.2%, Uganda’s is the seventh fastest growing population in the world.
The fertility rate has only decreased slightly over the past five years from 6.7% to 6.9%.
On average, a Ugandan woman gives birth to 6.7 children. As a result, the population is expected to hit 38 million by 2015.
The number of people living in urban areas has also increased from 3.7 million to 3.9 million.
The report called for deliberate effort to ensure a sustainable population growth rate.
The annual document, entitled The State of Uganda Population Report 2008, was launched in Kampala yesterday. It was compiled by the Population Secretariat.
It is intended to draw attention towards building a quality population. “We must ensure that we achieve a quality population,” said Charles Zirarema, the secretariat’s acting director.
Commenting on the report, Janet Jackson, the UN Population Fund representative to Uganda, said Uganda’s cultural heritage was diverse.
“So too must be the views, practices and beliefs about sexual and reproductive health,” he said. “More needs to be understood about what different groups of people think, act and believe.”
Zirarema noted the report explores the interplay between culture, gender and human rights and how they interface with population growth, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict, low access to reproductive health information and water.
The unmet need for family planning has increased drastically over the past five years from 35% to 41%. The number of married people using contraceptives has only slightly increased from 22.8 in 2002 to 23.7.
The number of pregnant women having supervised deliveries has increased from 38% in 2002 to the current 41%.
Zirarema said 12% of women in the productive age group are undernourished, while 38% of children below five years are stunted. “We should reverse the trend,” he said.
In order to attain equitable development, notes the report, individuals must exercise control over their sexual lives. Traditionally, a woman’s status is largely measured by her capacity to reproduce, hence the pressure to have more children.
“Most families in Uganda still highly value producing several sons, who would continue the lineage of the family,” the report observes.
Generally, the health indicators have remained the same over the last two years. The changes, however, over the past five years are noticeable.
The infant mortality rate decreased from 88 in 2002 to the current 76 per 1,000 live births. Maternal mortality stands at 435 per 100,000 births, down from 505 in 2002. The prevalence rate remains at 6.4%. The main limitation to the fight against AIDS is cultural behaviour. Early forced marriages and men’s extra-marital sexual relations are key in spreading the virus. The national response, according to the report, should involve reshaping societal and cultural norms and resources to contribute to HIV prevention.
The HIV prevalence is highest among females in the 30-34 age group. Among men, the prevalence is highest among 40-44 year-olds.
The major noticeable sex discrepancy is the HIV prevalence among children (15-19 years).
