[2][3] Arua is approximately 475 kilometres (295 mi) north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda,[4] Arua is about 228 kilometres (142 mi), by road, west of Gulu, the largest city in Uganda's Northern Region.

[9] Arua is an important base for non-governmental organizations working in the West Nile sub-region or serving Western Equatoria in South Sudan and the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The August 2014 national census and household survey enumerated the population of Arua Town Council at 61,962.

UBOS calculated that the population of Arua Municipality grew at an average rate of 2.7 percent annually, between 2014 and 2020.

In early 2014, MBC 2 was aired in Arua as a test broadcast to pave way for Vision Group's Urban TV.[18].