Uganda’s demographic turning point

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Uganda still has one of the youngest populations in the world, with an average age of under 17. But that demographic advantage will gradually shift as life expectancy increases and fertility rates decline.

The result will be a growing elderly population that places new demands on health services, according to a World Bank report titled, The Silver Opportunity.

Currently, Uganda has very limited formal eldercare infrastructure. Except for a handful of private facilities, most elderly care happens within families — often provided by women.

A 2024 BMC Health Services Research journal article, titled: “These are just finishing our medicines”: older persons’ perceptions and experiences of access to healthcare in public and private health facilities in Uganda, stated healthcare system challenges and individual-level factors.

“The facilitators of access to essential medicines included family or social support, earning some income or Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) money, and knowing a healthcare provider at a health facility,” an excerpt from the article reads.

But social changes are beginning to strain that system. Urban migration is pulling young adults away from rural homes. Families are increasingly spread across cities and even across borders. At the same time, rising female employment means fewer caregivers are available at home.

Preparing now for the future

In the midst of this gloom, the World Bank suggests several practical steps Uganda could take now to prepare in its report below:

-Integrating geriatric care into primary health clinics would allow elderly patients to receive regular monitoring close to home. Expanding community health worker programmes could help detect chronic diseases earlier.

-Screening programmes for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes could catch illnesses before they become life-threatening.

-And digital health tools — including telemedicine and electronic health records — could extend services to remote communities.

Such reforms would not only benefit older people, the report argues. They would strengthen health systems for all citizens.

Ageing is inescapable

Perhaps the most urgent message in the report is that ageing is not a distant problem waiting for decades in the future. It is already underway.

The report warns that the number of people aged 60 and older in countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbabwe is expected to quadruple by 2050. This is one of the fastest ageing trends anywhere in the world. And countries that prepare early may see healthier populations, more resilient health systems and stronger economies.

Those who wait risk facing overwhelmed hospitals, rising healthcare costs and families struggling to care for elderly relatives without support.

For Uganda and much of Africa, the demographic clock has already started ticking.

But with careful planning, what seems like a looming crisis could still become something far more hopeful — a genuine silver opportunity.