South Sudan

total: 0 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1

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)

.ss

percent of population: 9% (2022 est.)

total subscriptions: 0 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions: 6.17 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2022 est.)

milk, cassava, sorghum, goat milk, vegetables, fruits, groundnuts, sesame seeds, beef, maize (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $2.513 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $1.984 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

$577.9 million (2023 est.) -$596.748 million (2022 est.) -$6.55 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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

South Sudanese pounds (SSP) per US dollar - 2,163.104 (2024 est.) 930.331 (2023 est.) 534.511 (2022 est.) 306.355 (2021 est.) 165.907 (2020 est.)

$4.499 billion (2023 est.) $5.811 billion (2022 est.) $4.652 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, forage crops, gold, scrap iron (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 51%, Singapore 29%, UAE 10%, Germany 4%, Uganda 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$4.629 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

agriculture: 10.4% (2015 est.) industry: 33.1% (2015 est.) services: 56.6% (2015 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

44 (2016 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 1.8% (2016 est.) highest 10%: 33% (2016 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$4.443 billion (2023 est.) $6.402 billion (2022 est.) $4.037 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

garments, cement, other foods, iron bars, cereal flours (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Uganda 33%, UAE 26%, Kenya 14%, China 10%, USA 3% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

-36.8% (2015 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

91.4% (2024 est.) 2.4% (2023 est.) -6.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

5.091 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

82.3% (2016 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

86.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

$6.752 billion (2023 est.) $6.585 billion (2022 est.) $6.945 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

-5.2% (2017 est.) -13.9% (2016 est.) -10.8% (2015 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$400 (2023 est.) $400 (2022 est.) $400 (2021 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

9.5% of GDP (2015 est.) 0% of GDP (2014 est.) 0% of GDP (2013 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$72.881 million (2023 est.) $94.914 million (2022 est.) $341.932 million (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

12.5% (2023 est.) 12.6% (2022 est.) 14.1% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 18.5% (2023 est.) male: 19.4% (2023 est.) female: 17.6% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

imports: 100 metric tons (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity: 136,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 566.034 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 23.966 million kWh (2023 est.)

electrification - total population: 8.4% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 15% electrification - rural areas: 1.7%

fossil fuels: 93.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

2.092 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

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.)

1.725 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 1.725 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

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

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife conservation and loss of biodiversity; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; drought

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

agricultural land: 44.9% (2023 est.) arable land: 3.9% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 40.8% (2023 est.) forest: 11.3% (2023 est.) other: 43.8% (2023 est.)

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.)

20.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

49.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal: 193 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 225 million cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 240 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

urban population: 21.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 2.681 million tons (2024 est.)

total : 644,329 sq km land: NA water: NA

more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas

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

0 km (landlocked)

highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m lowest point: White Nile 381 m

8 00 N, 30 00 E

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

1,000 sq km (2012)

total: 6,018 km border countries (6): 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 note: South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan

agricultural land: 44.9% (2023 est.) arable land: 3.9% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 40.8% (2023 est.) forest: 11.3% (2023 est.) other: 43.8% (2023 est.)

East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia

Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

Africa

none (landlocked)

hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver

clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile, as shown in this population distribution map

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

10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria note: in 2015, 28 new states were created, and 4 additional states in 2017; after the 2020 peace agreement, the country was again reorganized into the 10 original states, plus 2 administrative areas, Pibor and Ruweng, and 1 special administrative status area, Abyei (which is disputed between South Sudan and Sudan)

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

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

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

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]"

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.gov https://ss.usembassy.gov/

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.com https://www.ssembassydc.org/

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 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

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 side meaning: 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 note 1: similar to the flag of Kenya note 2: South Sudan has one of two national flags that display six colors as part of the primary design -- the other is South Africa's

presidential republic

9 July 2011 (from Sudan)

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

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 note: in mid-2022, the Government of South Sudan inaugurated an ad-hoc judiciary committee, a 12-member body led by two eminent jurists, that is charged with reviewing relevant laws, advising on judicial reform, and restructuring the judiciary

legislature name: Législature nationale (National Legislature) legislative structure: bicameral

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

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

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

red, green, blue, yellow, black, white

Independence Day, 9 July (2011)

African fish eagle

Democratic Change or DC Democratic Forum or DF Labour Party or LPSS South Sudan Opposition Alliance or SSOA Sudan African National Union or SANU Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM Sudan People s Liberation Movement-In Opposition or SPLM-IO United Democratic Salvation Front or UDSF United South Sudan African Party or USSAP United South Sudan Party or USSP

18 years of age; universal

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.

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 2020 the 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 SSPDF the 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)

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) note 1: the NUF are being formed by retraining rebel and pro-government militia fighters into military, police, and other government security forces; the first operational NUF deployed in November 2023 note 2: numerous irregular forces operate in the country with official knowledge, including militias operated by the National Security Service (an internal security force under the Ministry of National Security) and proxy forces

information varies; estimated 150-200,000 active Defense Forces (2025) note: some active SSPDF personnel may be militia; the National/Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) were expected to have up to 80,000 personnel when training and integration is completed; the first batch of approximately 20,000 NUF personnel completed training in late 2022

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) note: South Sudan has been under a UN arms embargo since 2018 (extended for 1 year in May 2025)

2% of GDP (2024 est.) 2% of GDP (2023 est.) 2% of GDP (2022 est.) 2% of GDP (2021 est.) 2% of GDP (2020 est.)

18 (legal minimum age)-35 for voluntary military service for men and women; 12-24 months service (2025) note: the UN reports that there are thousands of child soldiers in South Sudan serving in the SSPDF and militia forces although the South Sudanese Government has pledged to end the practice

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)

35.68 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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.)

urban: 70% of population (2022 est.) rural: 33.6% of population (2022 est.) total: 41.2% of population (2022 est.) urban: 30% of population (2022 est.) rural: 66.4% of population (2022 est.) total: 58.8% of population (2022 est.)

1.6% of GDP (2016 est.) 3.3% national budget (2015 est.)

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.) note: Figures are estimations due to population changes during South Sudan's civil war and the lack of updated demographic studies

2.43 (2025 est.)

5.9% of GDP (2021) 2.1% of national budget (2022 est.)

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

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)

total population: 60.3 years (2024 est.) male: 58.4 years female: 62.2 years

459,000 JUBA (capital) (2023)

692 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

total: 18.7 years (2025 est.) male: 18.7 years female: 18.7 years

noun: South Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: South Sudanese

18.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.6% (2014)

0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

total: 12,703,714 (2024 est.) male: 6,476,341 female: 6,227,373

clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile, as shown in this population distribution map

4.52% (2025 est.)

Christian 60.5%, folk religion 32.9%, Muslim 6.2%, other 1%, unaffiliated 1% (2020 est.)

urban: 60.6% of population (2022 est.) rural: 15.5% of population (2022 est.) total: 24.9% of population (2022 est.) urban: 39.4% of population (2022 est.) rural: 84.5% of population (2022 est.) total: 75.1% of population (2022 est.)

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.)

4.98 children born/woman (2025 est.)

urban population: 21.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

refugees: 517,471 (2024 est.) IDPs: 1,359,795 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 18,000 (2024 est.)

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/

89 (2025)

Z8

2 (2025)

total: 248 km (2018) note: a narrow gauge, single-track railroad between Babonosa (Sudan) and Wau, the only existing rail system, was repaired in 2010 with $250 million in UN funds, but is not currently operational