The national census of 2002 estimated Jinja's population to be 71,213 of which 36,325 were males and 34,888 were females. In 2010, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 82,800. In 2011, UBOS estimated the population at 89,700.

Jinja District is located in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Jinja is the district's main municipal and commercial center.

Jinja is in Jinja District, Busoga sub-region, in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is approximately 81 kilometres (50 mi) east of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. It sits along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, near the source of the White Nile, at an average elevation of 1,204 metres (3,950 ft) above sea level.

The construction of the Uganda Railway, completed in 1901, along with the Owen Falls Dam (now renamed the Nalubaale Dam) in 1954, stimulated the city’s industrial growth. Numerous factories, mills, and industries set up their base in Jinja, earning it the title ‘Industrial Capital of Uganda’.