| Official Name: | Pader |
| Mapsize: | 150px |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Map of Uganda showing the location of Pader |
| Pushpin Map: | Uganda |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Uganda |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Uganda |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Acholi sub-region |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Pader District |
| Population As Of: | 2014 Census |
| Population Total: | 14080 |
| Utc Offset: | +3 |
| Coordinates: | 2.8778°N 33.085°W |
| Elevation M: | 1020 |
Pader is a town in Pader District in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by the Pader Town Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and the site of the district headquarters.[1]
Pader is bordered by Pajule to the north, Parabong to the northeast, Lira Palwo to the east, Puranga to the south, and Awere to the west. The town is approximately60km (40miles), by road, southeast of Kitgum, the nearest large town. Pader is approximately 133km (83miles), by road, east of Gulu, the largest city in the Northern Region of Uganda. The coordinates of the town are 2°52'43.0"N, 33°05'06.0"E (Latitude:2.8786; Longitude:33.0850).
Pader sprang up in 2000, the same year that Pader District was formed. The town soon became a center of foreign relief agencies assisting the civilian population affected by the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency. While over US$2 million has been poured into this effort, there is little to show for it because of corruption, poor planning, poor implementation, poor follow up, poor management, lack of accountability, and a hands-off approach by many of the donor agencies.[2] [3]
The 2002 national census estimated the population of the town at about 8,700. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 12,800 in 2010. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 13,500.[4] The 2014 census enumerated the population of the town at 14,080.[5]
In 2015, the population of the town was projected at 13,500. In 2020, the mid-year population of Pader Town was projected at 14,800. It was calculated that the population of the town increased at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent, between 2015 and 2020.[6]
The following additional points of interest lie within or near the town of Pader: