South Sudan
South Sudan is a eastern African country of roughly 11.6M people, covering 644,329 km² with its capital at Juba. Its economy is worth about $6.0B in nominal terms, anchored by oil, livestock, agriculture.
- Population
- 11.6M
- Projected population, 2026
Source: UN World Population Prospects - Capital
- Juba
- GDP
- $6.0B
- Area
- 644,329 km²
- Currency
- South Sudanese pound
Map
Overview
South Sudan is a eastern African country of roughly 11.6M people, covering 644,329 km² with its capital at Juba. Its economy is worth about $6.0B in nominal terms, anchored by oil, livestock, agriculture.
Government
South Sudan operates as a federal republic. Independence: 2011. Executive, legislative and judicial functions are exercised from Juba.
Economy
Nominal GDP is approximately $6.0B, or around $518 per capita. The currency in circulation is the South Sudanese pound. Leading sectors are oil, livestock, agriculture.
Population
South Sudan has a projected population, 2026 of 11,592,615 people (United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, Online Edition — medium variant), a density of roughly 18 people per km². Values from 2024 onwards are medium-variant projections rather than live counts.
Cities
The largest urban centres are Juba, Malakal, Wau. Juba serves as the seat of government.
History
Modern South Sudan took shape through pre-colonial states, the colonial partition of the late nineteenth century, and independence in 2011. Our History section covers each period in depth.
Languages
Widely used languages include English, Arabic, Dinka. Official-language policy shapes schooling, courts and broadcasting.
Culture
Music, cuisine, film, textiles and sport in South Sudan form part of a fast-growing creative economy with an expanding export footprint.
Education
Primary enrolment is near-universal in most of the region; the constraints sit at secondary completion, technical training and higher-education funding.
Healthcare
Health spending across Africa averages about 5.7% of GDP. South Sudan's system combines public facilities, private providers and donor-funded programmes.
Business
Company registration, tax administration and access to finance are the practical determinants of doing business in South Sudan. See our Business section for sector reporting.
Investment
Investors typically look at oil, infrastructure and consumer services. Regulatory clarity and FX access are the recurring diligence questions.
Tourism
Visitors come for landscape, heritage and city life. Entry requirements, seasonality and internal transport are covered in our Travel guides.
Transportation
Road remains dominant; rail, ports and aviation capacity vary sharply and are the focus of most current infrastructure investment.
Infrastructure
Electricity access, broadband coverage and logistics quality are the three infrastructure metrics most closely tied to South Sudan's growth outlook.
Statistics
Full time series for population, GDP, trade, inflation, internet usage, education, health, tourism, agriculture and climate are published in The360Africa Data Center.
Frequently asked questions
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