South Sudan is a low-income country with a population of 11.9M people. The capital and largest city is Juba, with 459K residents. South Sudan shares land borders with Sudan, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, the DR Congo, Uganda and Kenya.
South Sudan ranks 150/197 by GDP ($12B) and 172/197 by GDP per capita ($1,080). The top export category is business & finance services, while the top import is transport & tourism services.
Main facts and rankings
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
12387398
|
81/197 |
| GDP |
$12B
2015 |
150/197 |
| 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 |
| Land area | 243,990 sq mi | 41/197 |
| Population density | 49 ppl/mi² | 172/197 |
| Fertility rate | 3.86 | 31/196 |
| Median age | 19.4 years | 173/196 |
| Life expectancy | 57.9 years | 195/197 |
South Sudan trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $14,586,253,383 |
| 2009 | $12,231,264,525 |
| 2010 | $14,602,072,411 |
| 2011 | $14,907,308,933 |
| 2012 | $11,931,472,169 |
| 2013 | $18,426,469,017 |
| 2014 | $13,962,212,847 |
| 2015 | $11,997,800,760 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $1,654 |
| 2009 | $1,323 |
| 2010 | $1,498 |
| 2011 | $1,449 |
| 2012 | $1,109 |
| 2013 | $1,650 |
| 2014 | $1,243 |
| 2015 | $1,080 |
South Sudan's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.2 |
| 1951 | 30.6 |
| 1952 | 31 |
| 1953 | 31.4 |
| 1954 | 31.7 |
| 1955 | 32 |
| 1956 | 31.6 |
| 1957 | 30.9 |
| 1958 | 27.6 |
| 1959 | 27.8 |
| 1960 | 28.1 |
| 1961 | 28.3 |
| 1962 | 28.5 |
| 1963 | 28.2 |
| 1964 | 32.5 |
| 1965 | 28.8 |
| 1966 | 25.6 |
| 1967 | 25.9 |
| 1968 | 26.1 |
| 1969 | 25.4 |
| 1970 | 25.6 |
| 1971 | 31 |
| 1972 | 31.3 |
| 1973 | 36.3 |
| 1974 | 36.6 |
| 1975 | 36.9 |
| 1976 | 37.1 |
| 1977 | 37.4 |
| 1978 | 37.6 |
| 1979 | 37.8 |
| 1980 | 38 |
| 1981 | 38.3 |
| 1982 | 38.7 |
| 1983 | 34.7 |
| 1984 | 31.8 |
| 1985 | 32.4 |
| 1986 | 32.8 |
| 1987 | 20.7 |
| 1988 | 11 |
| 1989 | 28.2 |
| 1990 | 28.6 |
| 1991 | 29.2 |
| 1992 | 21.9 |
| 1993 | 22.3 |
| 1994 | 44.9 |
| 1995 | 31.5 |
| 1996 | 32.1 |
| 1997 | 33.1 |
| 1998 | 19 |
| 1999 | 44.5 |
| 2000 | 47.6 |
| 2001 | 48.6 |
| 2002 | 49.4 |
| 2003 | 52.3 |
| 2004 | 53.1 |
| 2005 | 54 |
| 2006 | 54.7 |
| 2007 | 55.4 |
| 2008 | 56.3 |
| 2009 | 56.8 |
| 2010 | 57.5 |
| 2011 | 57.7 |
| 2012 | 58.2 |
| 2013 | 58.3 |
| 2014 | 45.6 |
| 2015 | 39.8 |
| 2016 | 36.7 |
| 2017 | 35.4 |
| 2018 | 51.9 |
| 2019 | 58.1 |
| 2020 | 57.6 |
| 2021 | 57 |
| 2022 | 57.2 |
| 2023 | 57.6 |
| 2024 | 57.7 |
| 2025 | 57.9 |
South Sudan's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,931,559 |
| 1961 | 2,976,724 |
| 1962 | 3,024,308 |
| 1963 | 3,072,669 |
| 1964 | 3,129,918 |
| 1965 | 3,189,835 |
| 1966 | 3,236,423 |
| 1967 | 3,277,648 |
| 1968 | 3,321,528 |
| 1969 | 3,365,533 |
| 1970 | 3,409,614 |
| 1971 | 3,468,646 |
| 1972 | 3,542,497 |
| 1973 | 3,627,383 |
| 1974 | 3,723,259 |
| 1975 | 3,821,494 |
| 1976 | 3,921,910 |
| 1977 | 4,024,032 |
| 1978 | 4,127,657 |
| 1979 | 4,232,605 |
| 1980 | 4,339,030 |
| 1981 | 4,447,272 |
| 1982 | 4,557,686 |
| 1983 | 4,661,574 |
| 1984 | 4,750,627 |
| 1985 | 4,834,296 |
| 1986 | 4,921,240 |
| 1987 | 4,962,395 |
| 1988 | 4,848,029 |
| 1989 | 4,713,229 |
| 1990 | 4,737,633 |
| 1991 | 4,836,677 |
| 1992 | 4,909,749 |
| 1993 | 4,956,002 |
| 1994 | 5,071,184 |
| 1995 | 5,225,836 |
| 1996 | 5,356,925 |
| 1997 | 5,509,136 |
| 1998 | 5,620,068 |
| 1999 | 5,771,628 |
| 2000 | 6,032,267 |
| 2001 | 6,308,391 |
| 2002 | 6,596,806 |
| 2003 | 6,903,127 |
| 2004 | 7,233,041 |
| 2005 | 7,590,143 |
| 2006 | 7,976,526 |
| 2007 | 8,388,788 |
| 2008 | 8,817,647 |
| 2009 | 9,243,556 |
| 2010 | 9,745,953 |
| 2011 | 10,288,109 |
| 2012 | 10,756,240 |
| 2013 | 11,166,275 |
| 2014 | 11,235,073 |
| 2015 | 11,107,561 |
| 2016 | 10,830,102 |
| 2017 | 10,259,154 |
| 2018 | 10,122,977 |
| 2019 | 10,423,384 |
| 2020 | 10,698,467 |
| 2021 | 10,865,780 |
| 2022 | 11,021,177 |
| 2023 | 11,483,374 |
| 2024 | 11,943,408 |
South Sudan's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.16 |
| 1961 | 7.18 |
| 1962 | 7.2 |
| 1963 | 7.2 |
| 1964 | 7.22 |
| 1965 | 7.22 |
| 1966 | 7.25 |
| 1967 | 7.26 |
| 1968 | 7.26 |
| 1969 | 7.28 |
| 1970 | 7.29 |
| 1971 | 7.3 |
| 1972 | 7.31 |
| 1973 | 7.31 |
| 1974 | 7.31 |
| 1975 | 7.33 |
| 1976 | 7.33 |
| 1977 | 7.33 |
| 1978 | 7.33 |
| 1979 | 7.32 |
| 1980 | 7.33 |
| 1981 | 7.33 |
| 1982 | 7.34 |
| 1983 | 7.34 |
| 1984 | 7.35 |
| 1985 | 7.36 |
| 1986 | 7.38 |
| 1987 | 7.39 |
| 1988 | 7.38 |
| 1989 | 7.37 |
| 1990 | 7.38 |
| 1991 | 7.38 |
| 1992 | 7.37 |
| 1993 | 7.36 |
| 1994 | 7.35 |
| 1995 | 7.34 |
| 1996 | 7.32 |
| 1997 | 7.2 |
| 1998 | 7.08 |
| 1999 | 6.94 |
| 2000 | 6.8 |
| 2001 | 6.65 |
| 2002 | 6.52 |
| 2003 | 6.35 |
| 2004 | 6.19 |
| 2005 | 6.02 |
| 2006 | 5.85 |
| 2007 | 5.7 |
| 2008 | 5.57 |
| 2009 | 5.45 |
| 2010 | 5.32 |
| 2011 | 5.19 |
| 2012 | 5.06 |
| 2013 | 4.94 |
| 2014 | 4.82 |
| 2015 | 4.7 |
| 2016 | 4.58 |
| 2017 | 4.48 |
| 2018 | 4.37 |
| 2019 | 4.26 |
| 2020 | 4.16 |
| 2021 | 4.05 |
| 2022 | 3.96 |
| 2023 | 3.86 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.6 |
| 1961 | 18.5 |
| 1962 | 18.5 |
| 1963 | 18.4 |
| 1964 | 18.4 |
| 1965 | 18.3 |
| 1966 | 18.3 |
| 1967 | 18.2 |
| 1968 | 18 |
| 1969 | 17.9 |
| 1970 | 17.7 |
| 1971 | 17.6 |
| 1972 | 17.5 |
| 1973 | 17.5 |
| 1974 | 17.4 |
| 1975 | 17.4 |
| 1976 | 17.3 |
| 1977 | 17.2 |
| 1978 | 17.2 |
| 1979 | 17.1 |
| 1980 | 17.1 |
| 1981 | 17 |
| 1982 | 16.9 |
| 1983 | 16.8 |
| 1984 | 16.8 |
| 1985 | 16.7 |
| 1986 | 16.6 |
| 1987 | 16.5 |
| 1988 | 16.8 |
| 1989 | 17.1 |
| 1990 | 17 |
| 1991 | 17 |
| 1992 | 17 |
| 1993 | 16.9 |
| 1994 | 16.9 |
| 1995 | 16.9 |
| 1996 | 16.9 |
| 1997 | 16.9 |
| 1998 | 17 |
| 1999 | 17.1 |
| 2000 | 17.2 |
| 2001 | 17.3 |
| 2002 | 17.3 |
| 2003 | 17.3 |
| 2004 | 17.4 |
| 2005 | 17.6 |
| 2006 | 17.8 |
| 2007 | 18 |
| 2008 | 18.2 |
| 2009 | 18.4 |
| 2010 | 18.7 |
| 2011 | 19 |
| 2012 | 19.2 |
| 2013 | 19.3 |
| 2014 | 19 |
| 2015 | 18.6 |
| 2016 | 18.2 |
| 2017 | 17.4 |
| 2018 | 17.3 |
| 2019 | 17.8 |
| 2020 | 18.2 |
| 2021 | 18.4 |
| 2022 | 18.7 |
| 2023 | 19 |
| 2024 | 19.4 |
South Sudan vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing South Sudan with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
South Sudan: National Statistics
Finance
|
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$11.7B
2015 |
148/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
26.7%
2025 |
116/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
1.57%
2016 |
184/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
6.26%
2023 |
8/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
53,000
2020 |
67/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
+2%
2025 |
12/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
12.3%
2008 |
23/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
56.6%
2015 |
99/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
33.1%
2015 |
40/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
41
2025 |
186/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
33%
2016 |
31/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
1.8%
2016 |
148/169 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$72.9M
2023 |
175/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$1.14B
2024 |
81/190 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
0.39%
2018 |
177/184 |
| Banked people share |
5.83%
2021 |
158/158 |
Energy
|
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
69 kg
2022 |
171/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$15.1
2015 |
78/173 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
73.4%
2022 |
72/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
32.4%
2021 |
76/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
0.4%
2022 |
125/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
-860%
2022 |
144/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
46.9 kWh
2022 |
146/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
0.34%
2021 |
181/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
0%
2021 |
187/192 |
| Nuclear share |
0%
2021 |
169/192 |
| Electricity access |
5.4%
2023 |
195/195 |
Society
|
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.15%
2024 |
81/197 |
| Annual migration change |
+15,374
2024 |
43/196 |
| Urban population |
21.6%
2024 |
186/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Quality of life index |
5.62
2025 |
195/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
8
2024 |
197/197 |
| Higher education index |
10
2025 |
166/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
14.1
2012 |
25/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
36.7
2019 |
7/197 |
| Visa free countries |
54
2025 |
182/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
34.5%
2018 |
194/196 |
| English speaking |
94%
2023 |
13/197 |
| People using the Internet |
9.27%
2020 |
192/195 |
Health
|
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$49.4
2022 |
170/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$17
2022 |
160/191 |
| Life expectancy |
57.9 years
2025 |
195/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
49.1%
2022 |
8/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.04
2020 |
189/193 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
692
2023 |
4/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
98.7
2023 |
5/192 |
| Obesity rate |
8.79%
2022 |
166/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
4.6%
2024 |
178/195 |
| Air quality index |
21
2025 |
157/197 |
Territory
|
South Sudan
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.42%
2025 |
41/197 |
| Land area per capita |
20,429 sq mi
2024 |
26/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
109,449 sq mi
2025 |
40/194 |
| Forest area |
27,633 sq mi
2025 |
63/196 |
Compare South Sudan with other countries
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