The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has blasted the World Bank for using what it described as erroneous statistics to measure Uganda’s economic status. 

President Yoweri Museveni while delivering the State of the Nation Address at the Kololo Independence Grounds last month announced Uganda had surpassed the entrance figures required to be declared as a middle-income nation. 

Despite the numerous challenges that have hit the country, Museveni said the Country’s GDP per capita this year stands at $1046, a figure above the $1036 required to be considered to have hit the mark for the middle-income status. 

However, he informed the Country that to be declared middle-income status, Uganda needs to maintain the current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $1046 for the next three fiscal years, a move he said will be achieved. 

Kaudha Aliziki Lubega Director Economic Statistics, Didacus Okoth And Chris Mukiza The Executive Director Uganda Bureau Of Statistics Interacting.

This was however disputed by the World Bank in its report, titled “Fiscal Sustainability Through Deeper Reforms to Public Investment Management Uganda Economic Update, 19th Edition” 

According to the global body’s Atlas Method, Uganda’s overall growth for FY22 is estimated at 3.7 percent – below pre-COVID-19 projections of over 6 percent and leaving the country’s per capita income estimated at US$850, well below the lower-middle-income threshold of US$1,045 per person. 

In determining per capita income, World Bank also considers factors such as economic growth, inflation, exchange rates, and population growth.  

However, speaking to journalists at the UBOS offices this Wednesday, the executive director Dr. Chris Mukiza said World Bank’s report was a misrepresentation of the Government’s GDP per capita estimates. 

Mukiza explained that the misrepresentation particularly arose from three factors related to the national accounts aggregates, population figures, sources of data, and reference period used. 

“Whereas the report by Government was based on the financial year 2021/22 official data, the one by World Bank was based on the financial year 2020/21. Thus the per capita income in the two reports refer to two different periods, the Government of Uganda report being the most updated,” Mukiza said. 

He explained that the World Bank used UN population projections for Uganda for deriving the Gross National Income per capita. The UN mid-year population projection for Uganda for 2020/2021 is 47.1million which is against Uganda’s official population projection for the same period, estimated at 42.4million and resulting in a difference of 4.7 million people. 

“What is more striking is that World Bank is giving Uganda people we do not have. That’s bigger than the day population of Kampala and they are dividing the income with non-existent people,” Mukiza said adding that the only agency responsible for producing official statistics is UBOS. 

He added, “They (World Bank) are trying to contradict the official statement and I do not think they have that mandate. We have competent staff trained in the best universities and we follow the normal channel of quality assurance for statistics. So you trust the office that is serving you.”