South Sudan
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 12.2M (2025). World rank 80 of 216; in Africa, 32 of 54. Area: 619,745 km². World rank 45 of 249; in Africa, 20 of 59. Life expectancy: 57.7 years (2024). World rank 213 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 51 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 11.1M → 12.2M.
State
- Official name
- Republic of South Sudan
- Local name
- South Sudan
- Capital
- Juba
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Salva Kiir Mayardit
- Head of government
- Salva Kiir Mayardit
- Independence
- July 9, 2011
- Women in parliament
- 32.4% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 12,188,788 2025
- Area
- 619,745 km²
- GDP
- $12B 2015
- GDP per person
- $1,080 2015
- Life expectancy
- 57.7 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- South Sudanese Pound (SSP)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +211
- Emergency numbers
- 911
- Driving side
- Right
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda
- Agricultural land
- 44.7% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Kinyeti, 3,187 m
- Lowest point
- White Nile, 381 m
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 29
- Warmest month in the capital
- March, 32°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- August, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 900 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 19.7 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2% 2025
- Living in cities
- 21.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +6.1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 7.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 38% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 58.9% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.1% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 60.8 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 54.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.8 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 29.2 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 9.8 2024
Society
- Religions
- Christian 60.5%, folk religions 32.9%, and Muslim 6.2% (2020)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 25.3 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 5.8 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 6.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 22.5 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 23.4 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $1,155 2015
- GDP growth per year
- -10.8% 2015
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $1,050 2015
- Inflation
- +91.4% 2024
- Price level, USA = 100
- 42 2021
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 10.4% 2015
- Industry, share of GDP
- 33.1% 2015
- Services, share of GDP
- 56.6% 2015
- Unemployment
- 12.4% 2023
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 18.5% 2023
- Women in work or seeking work
- 70.4% 2023
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 36.7% 2015
- Imports, share of GDP
- 28.9% 2015
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +7.9% 2023
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- 0% 2015
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 9.5% 2015
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 44 2016
- Living on under $3 a day
- 76.5% 2016
Education
- Adult literacy
- 26.8% 2008
- Primary school enrolment
- 98.4% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 122% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 1.6% 2016
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 11.6% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $73 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 27.1% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.7 2022
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 72% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 71.9 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 96.7 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 692 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.5% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 4.6% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 24.2% 2022
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 39.8% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 14.4% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 0% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 14 2012
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 36.7 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 7.9 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 39.1 2025
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 23.7 2023
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 11.3% 2024
- Protected areas
- 15.4% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 2,359 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 4.2% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 6.7% 2019
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 47 2023
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0 2023
- Internet domain
- .ss
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 5.4% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 53 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 32.4% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 0.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 92.8% 2024
Transport
- Airports
- 89 2025
- Railways, km
- 248 2018
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 17 2023