Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Sudan fits inside Sudan 2.9 times.
South Sudan: 646,883 km² (2023) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Sudan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Sudan’s highest peak towers 145 m above Sudan’s.
South Sudan: 3,187 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 4.2 times as many people as South Sudan.
South Sudan: 12.2 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sudan is 43% more densely populated than South Sudan.
South Sudan: 19 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
South Sudan: no data · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
South Sudan: no data · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sudan is 0.31 years older than in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 18 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 0.5 more children on average than in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 3.79 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Sudan and South Sudan are practically level.
South Sudan: 3.1% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Sudan and Sudan are practically level.
South Sudan: 0 (2025) · Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, South Sudan 1.
South Sudan: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sudan’s economy is 5 times the size of South Sudan’s.
South Sudan: $12 billion (2015) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sudan produces 90% more per person than South Sudan.
South Sudan: Int$1,155 (2015) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Sudan than in Sudan (Gini 9.8 points higher).
South Sudan: 44 (2016) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in South Sudan, versus 7.5% in Sudan.
South Sudan: 12.4% (2023) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
South Sudan spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Sudan 0.9%.
South Sudan: 2% (2024) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How expensive is it?
South Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Sudan’s.
South Sudan: 94% (2015) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Sudan spends 3.5 times as much on health per person as Sudan.
South Sudan: $73 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sudan live 8.8 years longer than in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 57.7 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Sudan is 68% more likely to die before turning one than in Sudan.
South Sudan: 71.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sudan has 6.1 times as many doctors per person as South Sudan.
South Sudan: 0.041 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 8.2% in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 8.2% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sudan rate their lives 1.32 points higher than in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 2.82 (2019) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 3.4 times as much alcohol as in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 0.4 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Sudan has 17% more meat per person than Sudan.
South Sudan: 21.4 kg (2022) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Sudan has 122 kcal more food per person per day than South Sudan.
South Sudan: 2,391 kcal (2022) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
South Sudan: no data · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Sudan went to school 1.8 years longer than in Sudan.
South Sudan: 5.7 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Sudan: no data · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
19% of people in Sudan are online, versus 6.7% in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 7% (2019) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
Who has electricity at home?
66% of people in Sudan have electricity, versus 5.4% in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 5.4% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
35% of people in Sudan live in cities, versus 22% in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 22% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sudan has 70 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Sudan 47.
South Sudan: 47 (2023) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 11 times as long as South Sudan’s.
South Sudan: 248 km (2018) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
South Sudan: no data · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of South Sudan, but only 9.6% of Sudan.
South Sudan: 11.3% (2023) · Sudan: 9.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sudan emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 0.1 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.8% in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 1.8% (2024) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 20% more fine dust than in South Sudan.
South Sudan: 24.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Sudan are 19% deadlier than in Sudan.
South Sudan: 23.3 per 100k (2021) · Sudan: 19.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Sudan is on average 0.9 °C warmer than Sudan.
South Sudan: 28.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Sudan gets 4.6 times as much rain as Sudan.
South Sudan: 785 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Sudan bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. South Sudan fits inside Sudan 2.9 times.
Which has more people, South Sudan or Sudan?
Sudan has 4.2 times as many people as South Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Sudan or Sudan?
People in Sudan live 8.8 years longer than in South Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 57.7 years in South Sudan and 66.5 in Sudan.
