Kampala vs Ouagadougou

Kampala and Ouagadougou are level on the CIRA Index at 40. Kampala grades better on 9 measures, Ouagadougou on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Kampala 40, Ouagadougou 40
• OECD: Kampala 53, Ouagadougou 33
• UN Tourism: Kampala 47, Ouagadougou 44
• UNDRR: Kampala 43, Ouagadougou 27

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Kampala 65, Ouagadougou 45
• Economy and jobs: Kampala 13, Ouagadougou 25
• Climate and hazards: Kampala 55, Ouagadougou 15
• Water and environment: Kampala 44, Ouagadougou 38
• Community and housing: Kampala 100, Ouagadougou 100
• Access and continuity: Kampala 29, Ouagadougou 17

Where Kampala is stronger

• Average length of stay: 8.7 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) - Tourism Trends and Statistics Report 2024 / Statistical Abstract 2025, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 68.3 % average annual occupancy (Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) - Statistical Abstract 2025, Jan–Sep 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 8.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Green space: 13 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (SWARA Magazine / Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Tree Audit, 2021). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) & Envirospatio, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), 2024–2026). Grade 1/4.
• Government effectiveness: 34.4 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 20 and 40: grade 1/4.

Where Ouagadougou is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 100.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD) - Annuaire Statistique National 2023, Chapitre 3.9: Tourisme, 2023). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 10 % of the labour force (Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD), Enquête nationale semestrielle sur l'emploi (ENES 1), 2024-H2). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UNICEF / UN-Habitat via UN SDG Country Profile (Burkina Faso), 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 310.2 kg per resident per year (World Bank, What a Waste Global Database (City Dataset: Ouagadougou), 2020). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Trenopedia & SITARAIL, 2024–2026). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4.

Kampala in full · Ouagadougou in full

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