In May of 2023, Uganda implemented an anti-LGBTQ+ law that outlawed any form of same-sex sexual relations and rocked the nation.
Aside from the life imprisonment it imposed — along with the death penalty for what Uganda referred to as “aggravated homosexuality” — it also cost the country’s economy up to $1.6 billion in a single year, according to research from the Open for Business coalition, which aims to demonstrate that LGBTQ+ inclusion is a core component of sustainable economic growth.
“There were so many very tangible costs that came in very quickly,” the organization’s CEO, Dominic Arnall, told me earlier this week. “That’s between 3% and 5% of its GDP.”
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About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
