Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Sudan is 9% bigger than Kenya
Kenya: 591,970 km² (2024) · South Sudan: 646,883 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 2,012 m above South Sudan’s
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 3,187 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 50% of Kenya, versus 45% of South Sudan
Kenya: 50% (2024) · South Sudan: 44.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 4.7 times as many people as South Sudan
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · South Sudan: 12.2 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Kenya is 5.1 times as densely populated as South Sudan
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · South Sudan: 19 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How tall are the women?
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kenya is 1.6 years older than in South Sudan
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · South Sudan: 18 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in South Sudan have 0.6 more children on average than in Kenya
Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024) · South Sudan: 3.79 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
South Sudan and Kenya are practically level
Kenya: 3% (2025) · South Sudan: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
South Sudan hosts 4.6 times as many refugees per resident as Kenya
Kenya: 10.7 per 1,000 (2025) · South Sudan: 49.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Sudan none
Kenya: 0.2 (2026) · South Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, South Sudan 1
Kenya: 2 (2026) · South Sudan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Kenya’s economy is 11 times the size of South Sudan’s
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · South Sudan: $12 billion (2015)
How much is produced per person?
Kenya produces 6.1 times as much per person as South Sudan
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · South Sudan: Int$1,155 (2015)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Sudan than in Kenya (Gini 5.5 points higher)
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · South Sudan: 44 (2016)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Kenya: 45.5% (2022) · South Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in South Sudan, versus 5.4% in Kenya
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · South Sudan: 12.4% (2023)
How much goes to the military?
South Sudan spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.1%
Kenya: 1.1% (2025) · South Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kenya: 14.1% (2023) · South Sudan: no data
How expensive is it?
South Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Kenya’s
Kenya: 34% (2025) · South Sudan: 94% (2015)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kenya spends 17% more on health per person than South Sudan
Kenya: $85 (2023) · South Sudan: $73 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Kenya live 6.1 years longer than in South Sudan
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · South Sudan: 57.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Sudan is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Kenya
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Sudan: 71.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kenya has 7 times as many doctors per person as South Sudan
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · South Sudan: 0.041 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kenya: 1.3 per 1,000 (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kenya is 18% higher than in South Sudan
Kenya: 19.1 per 100k (2023) · South Sudan: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 8.2% in South Sudan
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · South Sudan: 8.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · South Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kenya rate their lives 1.86 points higher than in South Sudan
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · South Sudan: 2.82 (2019)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kenya drink 5.5 times as much alcohol as in South Sudan
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · South Sudan: 0.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Sudan has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Kenya
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · South Sudan: 21.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
South Sudan has 245 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · South Sudan: 2,391 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · South Sudan: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kenya went to school 2.9 years longer than in South Sudan
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · South Sudan: 5.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · South Sudan: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Kenya has 7 more World Heritage sites than South Sudan (8 against 1)
Kenya: 8 (2026) · South Sudan: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kenya: 124 (2026 edition) · South Sudan: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
35% of people in Kenya are online, versus 6.7% in South Sudan
Kenya: 35% (2024) · South Sudan: 7% (2019)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in South Sudan is 6% faster than in Kenya
Kenya: 41 Mbps (2026) · South Sudan: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
77% of people in Kenya have electricity, versus 5.4% in South Sudan
Kenya: 77% (2024) · South Sudan: 5.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
32% of people in Kenya live in cities, versus 22% in South Sudan
Kenya: 32% (2025) · South Sudan: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kenya has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Sudan 47
Kenya: 126 (2024) · South Sudan: 47 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 15 times as long as South Sudan’s
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · South Sudan: 248 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · South Sudan: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of South Sudan, but only 6.6% of Kenya
Kenya: 6.6% (2024) · South Sudan: 11.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kenya emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in South Sudan
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · South Sudan: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.8% in South Sudan
Kenya: 90% (2025) · South Sudan: 1.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Sudan carries 10% more fine dust than in Kenya
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · South Sudan: 24.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · South Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 85% deadlier than in South Sudan
Kenya: 55.3 per 100k (2023) · South Sudan: 29.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Sudan is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Kenya
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 28.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Sudan gets 13% more rain than Kenya
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 785 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than South Sudan?
South Sudan is larger. South Sudan is 9% bigger than Kenya.
Which has more people, Kenya or South Sudan?
Kenya has 4.7 times as many people as South Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or South Sudan?
People in Kenya live 6.1 years longer than in South Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 57.7 in South Sudan.
