THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

Background: South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is the world’s newest country. Home to a diverse array of mainly Nilotic ethnolinguistic groups that settled in the territory in the 15th through 19th centuries, South Sudanese society is heavily dependent on seasonal migration and seasonal fluctuations in precipitation. Modern-day South Sudan was conquered first by Egypt and later ruled jointly by Egyptian-British colonial administrators in the late 19th century. Christian missionaries helped spread the English language and Christianity in the area, leading to significant cultural differences with the northern part of Sudan, where Arabic and Islam are dominant. When Sudan gained its independence in 1956, the southern region received assurances that it would participate fully in the political system. However, the Arab government in Khartoum reneged on its promises, prompting two periods of civil war (1955-1972 and 1983-2005) in which as many as 2.5 million people died -- mostly civilians -- due largely to starvation and drought. The second Sudanese civil war was one of the deadliest since WWII and left southern Sudanese society devastated. Peace talks resulted in a US-backed Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, which granted the South six years of autonomy followed by a referendum on final status. The result of this referendum, held in 2011, was a vote of 98% in favor of secession.Since independence, South Sudan has struggled to form a viable governing system and has been plagued by widespread corruption, political conflict, and communal violence. In 2013, conflict erupted between forces loyal to President Salva KIIR, a Dinka, and forces loyal to Vice President Riek MACHAR, a Nuer. The conflict quickly spread through the country along ethnic lines, killing tens of thousands and creating a humanitarian crisis with millions of South Sudanese displaced. KIIR and MACHAR signed a peace agreement in 2015 that created a Transitional Government of National Unity the next year. However, renewed fighting broke out in Juba between KIIR and MACHAR’s forces, plunging the country back into conflict and drawing in additional armed opposition groups. A "revitalized" peace agreement was signed in 2018, mostly ending the fighting and laying the groundwork for a unified national army, a transitional government, and elections. The transitional government was formed in 2020, when MACHAR returned to Juba as first vice president. Since 2020, implementation of the peace agreement has been stalled amid wrangling over power-sharing, which has contributed to an uptick in communal violence and the country’s worst food crisis since independence, with 7 of 11 million South Sudanese citizens in need of humanitarian assistance. The transitional period was extended an additional two years in 2022, pushing elections to late 2024.

Location: East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 644,329 sq km
land: NA
water: NA
Area - comparative: more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 6,018 km
border countries: Central African Republic 1,055 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 714 km; Ethiopia 1,299 km; Kenya 317 km; Sudan 2,158 km; Uganda 475 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north
Terrain: plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country
Elevation: highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
lowest point: White Nile 381 m
Natural resources: hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver
Land use: agricultural land: 44.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 3.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 40.8% (2023 est.)
forest: 11.3% (2023 est.)
other: 43.8% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km): Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 kmnote: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km): Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Population distribution: clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile, as shown in this population distribution map
Geography - note: landlocked; The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile; its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season; it is one of the world's largest wetlands

Population: total: 12,703,714 (2024 est.)
male: 6,476,341
female: 6,227,373
Nationality: noun: South Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: South Sudanese
Ethnic groups: Dinka (Jieng) approximately 35-40%, Nuer (Naath) approximately 15%, Shilluk (Chollo), Azande, Bari, Kakwa, Kuku, Murle, Mandari, Didinga, Ndogo, Bviri, Lndi, Anuak, Bongo, Lango, Dungotona, Acholi, Baka, Fertit (2011 est.)
Languages: Languages: English (official), Arabic (includes Juba and Sudanese variants), ethnic languages include Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Zande, Shilluk
major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)
Religions: Christian 60.5%, folk religion 32.9%, Muslim 6.2%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 2,725,520/female 2,619,035)
15-64 years: 55.3% (male 3,568,064/female 3,458,804)
65 years and over: 2.6% (2024 est.) (male 182,757/female 149,534)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 80.8 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 76.1 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 4.7 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 21.1 (2024 est.)
Median age: total: 18.7 years (2025 est.)
male: 18.7 years
female: 18.7 years
Population growth rate: 4.52% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 35.68 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: 18.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile, as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization: urban population: 21.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 459,000 JUBA (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.22 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 692 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 58.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 65.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 54.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.3 years (2024 est.)
male: 58.4 years
female: 62.2 years
Total fertility rate: 4.98 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 2.43 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 70% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 33.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 41.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 30% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 66.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 58.8% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 5.9% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 2.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density: 0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 60.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 15.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 24.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 39.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 84.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 75.1% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 6.6% (2014)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 1.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 3.3% national budget (2015 est.)

Environmental issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife conservation and loss of biodiversity; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; drought
International environmental agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Climate: hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north
Land use: agricultural land: 44.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 3.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 40.8% (2023 est.)
forest: 11.3% (2023 est.)
other: 43.8% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 21.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 1.725 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 1.725 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 20.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: energy: 59.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 696 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 120.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 12.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 2.681 million tons (2024 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 193 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial: 225 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural: 240 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 49.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of South Sudan
conventional short form: South Sudan
etymology: self-descriptive name from the country's geographic position within Sudan prior to independence; the name Sudan derives from the Arabic balad-as-sudan, meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]"
Government type: presidential republic
Capital: name: Juba
geographic coordinates: 04 51 N, 31 37 E
time difference: UTC+2 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name comes from the name of a small Bari village that was located near the present-day city
Administrative divisions: 10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria
Constitution: history: previous 2005 (pre-independence); latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011)
amendment process: proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic; passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president
Citizenship: citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of South Sudan
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)
head of government: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)
cabinet: National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly
election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term)
most recent election date: 11-15 April 2010
election results: 2010: Salva KIIR Mayardit elected leader of then-Southern Sudan; percent of vote - Salva KIIR Mayardit (SPLM) 93%, Lam AKOL (SPLM-DC) 7%
expected date of next election: scheduled for 2015 but has been postponed multiple times, currently to be held in December 2026
Legislative branch: legislature name: Législature nationale (National Legislature)
legislative structure: bicameral
Legislative branch - lower chamber: chamber name: Transitional National Legislative Assembly (Al-Majlis Al-Tachirii)
number of seats: 550 (all appointed)
scope of elections: full renewal
most recent election date: 5/10/2021
percentage of women in chamber: 32.4%
expected date of next election: December 2026
Legislative branch - upper chamber: chamber name: Council of States (Al-Watani)
number of seats: 100 (all appointed)
scope of elections: full renewal
most recent election date: 8/2/2021
percentage of women in chamber: 32.1%
expected date of next election: December 2026
Judicial branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of South Sudan (consists of a chief justice, deputy chief justice, and 5 additional justices); the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for 9, rather than 5 additional justices
judge selection and term of office: the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for the establishment of a Judicial Service Council to recommend prospective justices to the president, and for the justices' tenures to be set by the National Legislature
subordinate courts: national level - Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level - High Courts; County Courts; customary courts; other specialized courts and tribunals
Political parties: Democratic Change or DCDemocratic Forum or DFLabour Party or LPSSSouth Sudan Opposition Alliance or SSOASudan African National Union or SANUSudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLMSudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition or SPLM-IOUnited Democratic Salvation Front or UDSF United South Sudan African Party or USSAPUnited South Sudan Party or USSP
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Santino Fardol Watod DICKEN (since 18 September 2024)
chancery: 1015 31st Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 600-2238
FAX: [1] (202) 644-9910
email address and website: info.ssdembassy@gmail.comhttps://www.ssembassydc.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. ADLER (since 24 August 2022)
embassy: Kololo Road adjacent to the EU's compound, Juba
mailing address: 4420 Juba Place, Washington DC 20521-4420
telephone: [211] 912-105-188
email address and website: ACSJuba@state.govhttps://ss.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation: AU, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO
Independence: 9 July 2011 (from Sudan)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 July (2011)
Flag: description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a five-pointed gold star is in the middle of a blue isosceles triangle based on the left sidemeaning: black stands for the people, red for the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green for the land, and blue for the Nile; the gold star represents the unity of the country's states
National symbol(s): African fish eagle
National color(s): red, green, blue, yellow, black, white
National anthem(s): title: "South Sudan Oyee!" (South Sudan, Hooray!)
lyrics/music: collective/Mido SAMUEL and Juba University students
history: adopted 2011; anthem selected in a national contest

Economic overview: low-income, oil-based Sahelian economy; extreme poverty and food insecurity; COVID-19 and ongoing violence threaten socioeconomic potential; environmentally fragile; ongoing land and property rights issues; natural resource rich but lacks infrastructure
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $6.752 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $6.585 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021: $6.945 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2017: -5.2% (2017 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2016: -13.9% (2016 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2015: -10.8% (2015 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2023: $400 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $400 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2021: $400 (2021 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.629 billion (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 91.4% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 2.4% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: -6.7% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 10.4% (2015 est.)
industry: 33.1% (2015 est.)
services: 56.6% (2015 est.)
Agricultural products: milk, cassava, sorghum, goat milk, vegetables, fruits, groundnuts, sesame seeds, beef, maize (2023)
Industrial production growth rate: -36.8% (2015 est.)
Labor force: 5.091 million (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2023: 12.5% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 12.6% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2021: 14.1% (2021 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 18.5% (2023 est.)
male: 19.4% (2023 est.)
female: 17.6% (2023 est.)
Population below poverty line: 82.3% (2016 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016: 44 (2016 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.8% (2016 est.)
highest 10%: 33% (2016 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2015: 9.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Remittances 2014: 0% of GDP (2014 est.)
Remittances 2013: 0% of GDP (2013 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.513 billion (2023 est.)
expenditures: $1.984 billion (2023 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 86.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2023: $577.9 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$596.748 million (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$6.55 million (2021 est.)
Exports: Exports 2023: $4.499 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $5.811 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $4.652 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners: China 51%, Singapore 29%, UAE 10%, Germany 4%, Uganda 3% (2023)
Exports - commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, forage crops, gold, scrap iron (2023)
Imports: Imports 2023: $4.443 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $6.402 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $4.037 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners: Uganda 33%, UAE 26%, Kenya 14%, China 10%, USA 3% (2023)
Imports - commodities: garments, cement, other foods, iron bars, cereal flours (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $72.881 million (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $94.914 million (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021: $341.932 million (2021 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: South Sudanese pounds (SSP) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 2,163.104 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 930.331 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 534.511 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 306.355 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 165.907 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 8.4% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 15%
electrification - rural areas: 1.7%
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 136,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 566.034 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 23.966 million kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 93.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: imports: 100 metric tons (2022 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 146,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 3.75 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 2.092 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 0 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 6.17 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2022 est.)
Broadcast media: 1 state-controlled TV channel and radio station; several community and commercial FM stations, mostly sponsored by outside aid donors; some foreign radio broadcasts available (2019)
Internet country code: .ss
Internet users: percent of population: 9% (2022 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 0 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: Z8
Airports: 89 (2025)
Heliports: 2 (2025)
Railways: total: 248 km (2018)

Military and security forces: South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF): Land Forces (includes Presidential Guard), Air Forces, Marine (Riverine) Forces, Reserve Forces; National (or Necessary) Unified Forces (NUF)Ministry of Interior: South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024: 2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military Expenditures 2023: 2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 2% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths: information varies; estimated 150-200,000 active Defense Forces (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: the SSPDF inventory is a mix of primarily of Soviet-era armaments alongside limited quantities of more modern equipment such as armored personnel carriers from UAE (2025)
Military service age and obligation: 18 (legal minimum age)-35 for voluntary military service for men and women; 12-24 months service (2025)
Military - note: the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) are largely focused on border and internal security; areas of concern include disputed national borders, conflict spillover from neighboring Sudan, banditry, and armed rebel groups and militias that continue to operate in the country since the civil war ended in 2020the SSPDF, formerly the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), was founded as a guerrilla movement against the Sudanese Government in 1983 and participated in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005); the Juba Declaration that followed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 unified the SPLA and the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF), the second-largest rebel militia remaining from the civil war, under the SPLA name; in 2017, the SPLA was renamed the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) and in September 2018 was renamed again as the SSPDFthe UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has operated in the country since 2011 with the objectives of consolidating peace and security and helping establish conditions for the successful economic and political development of South Sudan; UNMISS has about 18,000 personnel assigned; the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has operated in the disputed Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011; its mission includes ensuring security, protecting civilians, strengthening the capacity of the Abyei Police Service, de-mining, monitoring/verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the area, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid; UNISFA has approximately 3,800 personnel assigned (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 517,471 (2024 est.)
IDPs: 1,359,795 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 18,000 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons: tier rating: Tier 3 — South Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, South Sudan remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/south-sudan/

South Sudan