Ugandans are 11 saddest in the world

Survey results suggest Ugandans are among the least satisfied people in the world when asked about various factors that affect quality of life. However, confidence in the central government remains high. Photo by Isaac Kasamani

What you need to know:

Reason. Data shows Ugandans dissatisfied with their quality of life but not the govt.

Living in Uganda condemned you to life in one of the 11 saddest countries in the world, at least according to findings of research carried out by a London-based institute.

The Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index for 2011, which rellies on 2010 survey data and is touted as “an inquiry into global wealth and wellbeing”, ranked Uganda as 100th out of 110 countries with an average satisfaction rating of 4.2 out of 10.
Within the East African Community, Uganda is the second lowest ranking among the countries whose data was studied (there was insufficient data on Burundi). Out of the 110 countries ranked, Tanzania came top in the region at 96, Rwanda at 98, while Kenya was saddest at 102.
The survey rated a number of aspects of life in several countries like the economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital.

Limited freedom, malnutrition
Uganda’s best ranking was for confidence in national government, where it achieved the 27th position out of 110 countries, while the worst performance was in the health sector, where it was ranked 104th.

On personal freedom, the Legatum Institute noted that Ugandans do not enjoy a high level of civil liberties and report low levels of social tolerance for minorities.

It notes that “Ugandans enjoy only limited civil liberties,” placing the country 72 for its freedom of expression, organisational and associational rights, and personal autonomy.

“However, only four-fifths of people are satisfied with their level of individual freedom to make choices in their own lives. Approximately two-thirds of Ugandans believe their local area to be a good place for immigrants, above the global average, and 54 per cent believed the same for ethnic and racial minorities, placing the country 47th and 89th, respectively, on these variables,” it explains.

The report describes Uganda’s healthcare system as exceptionally poor, with Ugandans suffering high levels of malnourishment and disease. It explains that more than a fifth of the population is malnourished and almost 8 per cent of new-born children die in their first year, placing Uganda among the bottom 20 countries on both variables.

The report notes that in 2010, only six out of 10 people surveyed were content with the quality of their water, placing Uganda 90th on this variable. It found that majority of Ugandans die of respiratory-related disease.

Indicators measuring mental health are slightly more positive: 32 per cent of respondents had felt worried the previous day, meeting the global average, and 65 per cent felt well-rested, placing Uganda in the 56th and 84th position.
Uganda’s economy, whose fitful performance in 2011 was the source of several demonstrations and protests, is ranked at 102.

With an inflation rate that rose from about 5 per cent in January 2011 to about 30 per cent in November, the Institute says Uganda’s rate of gross domestic savings, which stands at 12.5 per cent, “is very low by international standards.”
The report says living standards are low and the foundation for future growth remains weak.

“Only three in 10 people considered the local job market to be favourable, while the expectations for future economic growth were poor, despite an economy that grew at an annualised average 5 per cent from 2005 to 2009. “The country, however, does not have strong foundations for future growth,” says the report.

However, there is some positive news about the economy. The report says Uganda’s foreign direct investment performance, as measured by both net inflows and volatility, in contrast is excellent, placing the country at 14th position.
Entrepreneurship on the other hand, is limited by very high start-up costs, although, Ugandans are generally positive about business prospects.

However, it says the country’s infrastructure for entrepreneurs is also extremely poor; with only 29 mobile phones for every 100 people, Internet bandwidth capacity is very low and there are very few secure Internet servers.

Despite those challenges, the report says subjective assessments of entrepreneurial opportunities in Uganda were positive, with over three-quarters of the people believing that the area they live in is a good place to start a business.
In addition, the report says majority, also thought that those who work hard will get ahead.

In its analysis of the governance situation, the report concludes that Uganda is teetering towards autocracy. It adds that the country’s bureaucracy is very inefficient, often failing to implement policy effectively.

However, according to the Institute’s analysis, two-thirds of the population reported confidence in its national government, placing the country 27th for governance.

Unfair elections?
It concludes that Ugandan citizens enjoy only limited political rights and only 32 per cent of people believed that elections are conducted in a fair and honest manner.

It says almost half of people surveyed in 2010 approved of their country’s efforts to preserve the environment, but only a quarter were satisfied with the country’s efforts to deal with poverty, placing the country 60th and 83rd respectively.

On education, the report ranks Uganda 98th. It says very few Ugandans attend secondary school or university, resulting in a poorly educated workforce and a dissatisfied populace.

There are mixed results for safety and security, and social capital. The report says a large proportion of the population are afraid to express their political views, placing Uganda 77th. In addition, the country ranks 80th for the extent of state-sponsored political violence and repression, and many Ugandan professionals and intellectuals choose to immigrate to another country.

Theft and assault
Reported assaults and theft, place Uganda in the bottom 10 countries in the Index: in a 2010 survey, 17 per cent of the population claimed to have experienced an assault during the previous 12 months, and 36 per cent said they had been victims of theft. As a result only 52 per cent felt safe walking home alone at night.

The fairly good social capital ranking is apparently because Uganda displays moderate societal cohesion, with strong religious networks.

The report says according to a 2010 survey, over six of 10 people had helped a stranger in the previous month and about two in 10 had volunteered with an organisation, placing Uganda in the top half of the Index for both variables.

However, just 17 per cent believed they could trust others, and only 15 per cent had made a financial contribution to charity in the previous month.