Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda

This fact sheet provides an economic assessment of climate change impacts on infrastructure in Uganda, estimating the costs required to improve resilience and the potential financial damages from extreme weather events through 2050.

• The estimated costs to ensure climate-resilient infrastructure in Uganda range from US$52-66 million for 2015-2020 to US$638-1,157 million for 2045-2050. New construction represents approximately 37% of these costs, with the remainder attributed to additional maintenance. Total costs to 2050 vary by climate scenario, reaching around US$2 billion under RCP4.5 and up to US$3 billion under RCP 8.5.
• Buildings account for 92% of the costs for climate resilience, with residential buildings representing about half of all costs, public buildings approximately 25%, and private non-residential infrastructure 16%. Transport accounts for only 8% of costs, a figure attributed to a projected decline in precipitation; the report notes that increased rainfall would increase the relative cost of the transport sector.
• Projected damages from extreme events—including loss of life, injury, property damage, dislocation, and disaster relief—vary by frequency. Without an increase in frequency or intensity, annual damages are expected to rise from the current US$20-130 million to US$189-838 million by 2050. If the frequency of extreme events doubles every 25 years, damages could reach US$738-3,294 million by 2050, representing 0.1-0.3% of GDP.
• Key adaptation priorities for infrastructure include climate proofing public buildings, developing standards for transport and infrastructure planning, and integrating climate-resilient standards into risk assessment guidelines. The report suggests that the government's projected adaptation program for disaster risk reduction, costing US$12 million to 2030, is a small fraction of estimated damages but could generate a rate of return of at least 10% if it reduces damages by approximately 7%.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_FACT-SHEET_Infrastructure.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda. n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_FACT-SHEET_Infrastructure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_FACT-SHEET_Infrastructure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndeconomic, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Uganda}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Uganda_CC-Economics_FACT-SHEET_Infrastructure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }