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Insurance in Uganda

Insurance in Uganda: the rules, the insurers, your rights

Regulator: IRA Uganda (official site)

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Motor third-party limits, the delayed national health scheme, the licensed insurers and the IRA Complaints Bureau.

Reviewed on 23 September 2026 by the Tulinde editorial team · how we check facts

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Short answerChecked 23 September 2026

Insurance in Uganda is regulated by the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA), which lists 9 life, 19 non-life and 4 micro-insurers in August 2026. Motor third-party insurance is compulsory under the Motor Vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act, 1989. Insurance was only 0.87% of GDP in 2024 (UGX 1,763.99 billion of premiums). A national health insurance scheme is proposed but not yet law.

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34licensed insurers checked against the regulator's own list

Key factsSource: IRA Uganda

Regulator: IRA Uganda
Compulsory cover: Motor third-party (1989 Act)
Insurance penetration (2024): 0.87% of GDP
Licensed insurers (Aug. 2026): 34: 9 life, 19 non-life, 4 micro, 1 takaful, 1 HMO
Training levy on premiums: 0.5%

Insurance in Uganda

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Guides for Uganda

All our other guides, by topic. Every guide opens with a short answer and lists the official source of each fact.

Vehicles4

Health and life2

Home, business and travel3

Your rights3

Tools and calculators4

34 licensed insurers in Uganda

Counted from the regulator's register: Insurance companies perpetually licensed (Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda, list published in August 2026). Being on it means a company is licensed — it is not a rating.

9Life insurers
19Non-life (general) insurers
4Micro-insurers
1Takaful operator
1Health membership organisation (HMO)

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Insurer profiles

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Latest from the Uganda blog

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All 32 guides

Insurers & your rightsTypes of insurance in Uganda: the classes IRA regulates, with 2025 premiumsMotor, fire, health, engineering, life, credit life and more: the classes IRA reports, how big each is, and which are compulsory.5 min read · Updated 28 October 2026

Insurers & your rightsInsurance brokers in Uganda: IRA's 2026 list of authorised brokers52 insurance brokers and 6 reinsurance brokers authorised for 2026, in alphabetical order, and the rules they must follow.5 min read · Updated 28 October 2026

Insurers & your rightsThe Insurance Act of Uganda: what the 2017 Act means for policyholdersAssented on 23 May 2017: the sections that protect you, from licensing and cash rules to complaints and the compensation fund.5 min read · Updated 28 October 2026

Topics: Motor & vehicles · Health & life · Home, business & travel · Insurers & your rights

Free PDFFree guides for UgandaOur guides on one topic, put together in one PDF to keep on your phone — the same sources, the same review dates.

The Uganda guide in full

The Ugandan insurance market in figures

From IRA's 2024 Annual Insurance Market Report:

Indicator (2024)	Figure
Gross written premium	UGX 1,763.99 billion (+10% on 2023)
Non-life premiums	UGX 986.48 billion
Life premiums	UGX 702.25 billion
Health membership organisations	UGX 69.89 billion (+23.98%)
Insurance penetration	0.870% of GDP
Premium per person	UGX 38,431 (USD 10.44)

For 2026, IRA licensed 144 players in all, including 49 brokers and 22 bancassurance agents (IRA); its August 2026 list of authorised brokers names 52.

2025: the latest full-year figures

IRA's Q4 2025 industry workbook puts total premium at UGX 2,024,584.8 million in 2025, up 14.8% on 2024: UGX 1,001,535.0 million of non-life premium, 978,535.8 million of life premium (+39.3%), 30,059.6 million for the HMO, 7,334.0 million for micro-insurers and 7,120.4 million of foreign reinsurance business. Medical cover, sold by life insurers, general insurers and the HMO, made up about a fifth of it — see health insurance companies in Uganda and the classes in types of insurance in Uganda.

Rules every policyholder should know

Local risks must be insured locally: all risks and persons in Uganda, including imports, must be insured with insurers licensed in Uganda (Insurance Act, section 8(3), as summarised in IRA's 2024 report).
Training levy: 0.5% of each premium is charged to the client.
Compulsory covers: motor third-party (price list) and workers' compensation (business insurance).
The law: the Insurance Act, 2017, revised as Cap. 191, governs insurers, HMOs, brokers and agents.

Frequently asked questions

Is car insurance compulsory in Uganda?

Yes. Section 2 of the Motor Vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act, 1989 forbids using a vehicle on a road without a third-party policy. See motor insurance in Uganda.

Does Uganda have national health insurance?

Not yet. A National Health Insurance Scheme bill passed by Parliament in 2021 was not signed into law; IRA's 2024 report still describes the scheme as proposed.

How many insurance companies are licensed in Uganda?

IRA's August 2026 list has 9 life, 19 non-life and 4 micro-insurers, plus one takaful operator and one authorised HMO.

How big is the insurance market in Uganda?

UGX 2,024,584.8 million of premium in 2025 according to IRA's Q4 2025 workbook, up 14.8% on the UGX 1,763.99 billion of 2024.