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South Sudan's economy ranking: GDP & GDP per capita, debt

Updated on by Georank team

South Sudan ranked 150/197 by economy size with a GDP of $12B and 172/197 by GDP per capita at $1,080. South Sudan has $6.87B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 63.2%.

In 2025, South Sudan made up 0.01% of the world's economy, compared to 0.02% in 2008.

The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.

GDP, current $
GDP, constant 2015 $
GDP growth
Year GDP GDP growth
Current $ Constant $
2008 $14,586,253,383 $20,185,217,786 -
2009 $12,231,264,525 $21,202,884,179 -16.1%
2010 $14,602,072,411 $22,367,646,895 19.4%
2011 $14,907,308,933 $21,329,717,233 2.09%
2012 $11,931,472,169 $11,500,530,835 -20%
2013 $18,426,469,017 $13,010,519,614 54.4%
2014 $13,962,212,847 $13,449,448,811 -24.2%
2015 $11,997,800,760 $11,997,800,760 -14.1%

Economic Statistics of South Sudan

South Sudan Rank
Gross domestic product
$12B
2015
150/197
GDP growth
-14.1%
2014-2015
191/196
GDP per capita
$1,080
2015
172/197
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,155
2015
196/197
Government debt
$6.87B
2015
139/185
Debt-to-GDP ratio
63.2%
2025
72/185
Government debt per person
$618
2015
159/185
Average annual personal income after taxes
$1,540
2025
181/197
Income share by richest 10%
33%
2016
31/169
Income share by poorest 10%
1.8%
2016
148/169
Government expenditure, % of GDP
26.7%
2025
116/195
Consumer prices inflation
91.4%
2023-2024
3/195
Central bank interest rate
15%
2023
18/105
Unemployment rate
12.3%
2008
23/196
Population
12387398
81/197

South Sudan's GDP per capita

South Sudan has a GDP per capita of $1,080, ranking 172/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $1,155, ranking 196/197, and a median annual after tax income of $1,540, ranking 181/197.

GDP per capita
GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
2008 $1,654 $2,887
2009 $1,323 $2,911
2010 $1,498 $2,948
2011 $1,449 $2,718
2012 $1,109 $1,417
2013 $1,650 $1,917
2014 $1,243 $1,373
2015 $1,080 $1,155

South Sudan's government spending, deficit, and chart

This chart shows South Sudan's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.

Over the past 15 years, South Sudan recorded a fiscal deficit in 8 years — average annual deficit equal to -3.13% of GDP. In 2015, government spending reached $3.98B (26.7% of GDP), with a surplus of +2%.

The national debt reached $6.87B, ranking 139th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 63.2%, ranking 72nd.

Government spending
Government debt
Deficit/surplus
Year % of GDP
Government spending Government debt Government deficit/surplus
2011 20.8% - 4.57%
2012 31.6% 8.91% -14.8%
2013 25.3% 17.6% -3.45%
2014 36.2% 38.1% -9.18%
2015 33.2% 57.2% -16%
2016 60.8% 150.5% -18.1%
2017 88.6% 163% 8.74%
2018 56.4% 80.3% -1.1%
2019 47.1% 43.1% 0.84%
2020 33.5% 49% -4.93%
2021 44.1% 51.1% -9.3%
2022 29.7% 39.1% 2.05%
2023 23.5% 49.7% 7.85%
2024 20.3% 54.3% 3.86%
2025 26.7% 63.2% 2%

Inflation rate by year

Over the past 16 years, South Sudan has had an average annual inflation rate of 63.7%. In 2024, inflation was 91.4%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.

Year Inflation
2009 5.01%
2010 1.17%
2011 46.9%
2012 45.5%
2013 -0.06%
2014 1.67%
2015 52.8%
2016 380%
2017 187.9%
2018 83.5%
2019 87.2%
2020 29.7%
2021 10.5%
2022 -6.69%
2023 2.38%
2024 91.4%

Balance of trade

South Sudan Rank
Current account balance
$578M
2023
58/189
Current account balance, % of GDP
-4.17%
2015
129/189
Goods imports
$2.25B
2023
149/188
Goods exports
$4.01B
2023
126/188
Service imports
$2.19B
2023
117/188
Service exports
$484M
2023
144/188
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
28.9%
2015
137/180
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
36.7%
2015
92/193

South Sudan's top 10 trading partners

South Sudan's biggest trading partner accounting for 26.3%% of all exports and imports is Uganda, with a trade balance between the two of -$455M — South Sudan exports $34.7M worth of goods and services to Uganda and imports $490M.

Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of South Sudan.

Rank Country Trade value Share of total trade Export to Import from Top export to Top import from
1 Uganda $525M 26.3% $34.7M $490M Metals Processed food, beverages & tobacco
2 UAE $482M 24.2% $67M $414M Raw agricultural goods Textiles & consumer goods
3 China $466M 23.4% $300M $166M Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
4 Kenya $220M 11% $97K $220M Wood & paper products Processed food, beverages & tobacco
5 Singapore $160M 8.01% $158M $1.76M Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
6 Rwanda $20.1M 1.01% $180K $19.9M Machinery & equipment Processed food, beverages & tobacco
7 Malta $15.6M 0.78% $0 $15.6M Animal & marine products Wood & paper products
8 Egypt $12.6M 0.63% $66K $12.6M Machinery & equipment Processed food, beverages & tobacco
9 Russia $11.3M 0.57% $3.55M $7.75M Miscellaneous Machinery & equipment
10 Sudan $8.86M 0.44% $41K $8.82M Metals Raw agricultural goods

South Sudan's top 10 exports

South Sudan Rank
Business & finance services $488M 92/188
Raw materials & minerals $458M 124/193
Government & miscellaneous services $164M 63/180
Transport & tourism services $88.4M 162/188
IT & IP services $67.2M 117/183
Manufacturing & construction services $34.8M 106/164
Metals $25.2M 141/192
Animal & marine products $4.5M 163/192
Raw agricultural goods $2.46M 171/193
Wood & paper products $2.22M 164/192

South Sudan's top 10 imports

South Sudan Rank
Transport & tourism services $1.19B 116/188
Government & miscellaneous services $783M 26/180
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $228M 152/193
Business & finance services $192M 142/188
Machinery & equipment $186M 175/193
Raw agricultural goods $146M 155/193
Manufacturing & construction services $112M 83/163
Chemicals & pharma $110M 166/193
Metals $98.8M 161/193
Raw materials & minerals $90.7M 173/193

Economic freedom indices

South Sudan Rank
Economic freedom 41 186/197

More economic indicators

South Sudan Rank
Services, % of GDP
56.6%
2015
99/191
Industry, % of GDP
33.1%
2015
40/194
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
10.4%
2015
70/193
GNI, Atlas method
$11.7B
2015
148/194
GNI per capita, PPP
$1,010
2015
190/191
Total reserves including gold
$72.9M
2023
175/177
Net foreign direct investment
$2.21M
2019
41/188
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$83.4M
2024
149/193
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$42M
2017
106/187
Poverty at national poverty lines
66%
2020
5/176
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
5.75%
2015
172/176

Compare countries by 7 more topics

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.