Survey ID Number
UGA-UBOS-ITS-2019-v01
Title
International Trade in Services Survey 2019
Abstract
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has been conducting the International Trade in Services Survey since 2010, collecting data on trade transactions in services between residents and non-resident institutional units or persons. The main objective of the survey was to generate quantitative information on the flow of import and export of services. The information collected will be used to improve the compilation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Balance of Payments (BOP) statistics as well as to guide trade in services negotiations and policy at regional and international level.
The survey targeted enterprises that export or import services in the country from five economic sectors of the economy. These included; Information and Communication, Construction, Financial & Insurance activities, Transport & Storage, and Professional,
Scientific & Technical activities. A total of 587 enterprises were selected out of a frame of 5,865.
Statistics presented are grossed up for the five economic sectors mentioned above for the years 2010 to 2018. However, Professional, Scientific & Technical activities sector was incorporated in the survey in 2016. From the five sectors, statistics were presented for the eleven categories as recommended by the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS) and the Extended Balance of Payments Services (EBOPS) classification.
Services Trade Flows
Uganda’s total International trade in goods and services amounted to US$12,861.1 million in 2018, of which trade in services accounted for 19.0 percent. The survey findings show that on average trade in services declined by 1.9 percent annually from 2010 to 2018. Similarly, Imports of services declined by 2.7 percent annually whereas exports of services grew by 0.6 percent annually on average.
In 2018, import of services with US$ 1,843.6 million (75.6%) accounted for the biggest percentage of total international services trade, while exports of services amounted to US$ 594.1 million (24.4%). The most imported services were; Financial services (36.6%), Transport services (22.0%), Construction services (16.9%) Other Business services (12.3%), and Telecommunication services (10.0%) whereas the main exports were Transport services (54.4%), Other Business services (26.9%), and Financial services (9.6%).
The survey indicates that there was an annual growth in services exports of 5.8 percent to US$ 594.1 million in 2018 from US$ 561.5 million in 2017. This performance in exports of services was mainly due to the growth in Transport services (13.3%), Other Business services (10.0%), Financial services (2.2%), and Insurance & Pension services (2.3%). On the other hand, Telecommunications, Computer & Information services and Travel services registered an annual decline of 31.4 percent and 10.0 percent respectively in 2018.
Services imports grew slightly by 0.3 percent to US$ 1,843.6 million in 2018 from US$ 1,838.8 million in 2017. This growth was attributed to an increment in Construction services (62.6%), Transport services (56.0%), Financial services (33.9%), Insurance and Pension services (33.7%) and Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property n.i.e (3.3%). On the other hand, Imports of Other Business services, Travel services and Telecommunications, Computer, & Information services registered an annual decline of 63.6 percent, 33.6 percent and 6.5 percent respectively.
Direction of Services Trade
Most of Uganda’s services were sold to Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) (28.4%), the European Union (26.6%) and North America/Caribbean (26.5%) in 2018. Uganda imported most services from Other Europe (23.7%), the European Union (20.8%), COMESA (16.9%), and Middle East (9.7%).
Services Trade Flows by Economic Sector
In 2018, Transportation & Storage, Professional, Scientific &Technical activities and Financial & Insurance sectors were the major sectors involved in exportation of services contributing 54.4 percent, 31.7 percent and 10.9 percent of the total services exports respectively. On the other hand, Financial & Insurance activities (38.8%), Construction (29.7%) and Transportation & Storage (21.2%) were the major sectors that imported services.