IGAD REPORT: Uganda emerges as a major migration destination, transit hub

What the report says

Uganda is increasingly serving as both a destination and transit point for migration in the IGAD region, according to a regional statistics report published in July 2025 and highlighted by The Independent Uganda. Citing Ugandan government data for 2022, the report says the country recorded about 1.21 million arrivals and 1.30 million departures, with non-residents making up the majority of crossings. The pattern suggests Uganda’s continued importance in regional mobility flows, while also reflecting the broader role of the IGAD area as a source, transit and destination region.

The report also notes that migration in the region is being shaped by conflict, economic pressures, climate-related shocks and environmental degradation. It warns that governments face major data gaps: only a few member states provided partial information on irregular migration, border movements and protection risks. That limited evidence base, the report says, makes it harder to monitor trends and design responses.

A key concern raised in the Uganda figures is trafficking. The report says cases in Uganda rose from 421 in 2021 to 1,200 in 2022, with children accounting for nearly half of those identified. It links trafficking and irregular migration to poverty, unemployment and other socio-economic pressures, and argues that prevention efforts need to adapt to changing forms of exploitation.

More broadly, the report says international migration across IGAD grew substantially over the past decade, while the region also hosted millions of refugees by the end of 2022. For Uganda, it says existing coordination structures involve multiple government bodies and cover issues including irregular migration, labour migration, trafficking and forced displacement.