# Sudan and South Sudan compared

Sudan and South Sudan side by side: 37 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 9 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/sdn-vs-sds
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Sudan: 1 January 1956 — The Republic of the Sudan becomes independent
- South Sudan: 9 July 2011 — The Republic of South Sudan declares independence

## Economy

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $50 B | 2024 | $12 B | 2015 |
| GDP per capita | $985 | 2024 | $1,080 | 2015 |
| GDP growth | -14.0% | 2024 | -10.8% | 2015 |
| Inflation | 138.8% | 2022 | 91.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 2.0% | 2024 | 65.6% | 2015 |

## Society

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 m | 2024 | 12 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 66.5 yrs | 2024 | 57.7 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 34.9% | 2024 | 21.4% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 4.3 | 2024 | 3.8 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 23.9 | 2024 | 23.7 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 31.3 | 2024 | 40.4 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 16.5 | 2024 | 9.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 28.6 | 2024 | 24.4 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 26.4 | 2024 | 23.0 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 16.3 | 2024 | 6.1 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 2.9% | 2023 | 11.6% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.25 | 2017 | 0.04 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 61.6 | 2024 | 96.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 46.0% | 2024 | 72.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 53.5% | 2008 | 26.8% | 2008 |
| Education spending | 2.0% | 2009 | 1.6% | 2016 |
| Primary enrolment | 72.4% | 2019 | 98.4% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 43.5% | 2019 | 122.1% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 15.9% | 2015 | — | — |

## Technology

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.2% | 2005 | — | — |
| Internet users | 18.6% | 2017 | 6.7% | 2019 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 70 | 2022 | 47 | 2023 |
| High-tech exports | 2.2% | 2018 | — | — |

## Geography

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,868,000 km² | 2023 | 631,930 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 9.6% | 2023 | 11.3% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 60.3% | 2023 | 44.9% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.4 | 2024 | — | — |
| Renewable energy | 61.0% | 2021 | 32.4% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 12.8% | 2021 | 13.1% | 2015 |
| Oil rents | 3.3% | 2021 | 10.4% | 2015 |
| Mineral rents | 6.6% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2015 |
| Forest rents | 2.8% | 2021 | 2.6% | 2015 |
| Electricity access | 66.0% | 2023 | 5.4% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Sudan | Observed | South Sudan | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.9% | 2021 | 2.0% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $375 M | 2021 | $2.0 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 144,000 | 2020 | 53,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/SDN.md and https://terralore.co/country/SDS.md.

## Entangled histories (9 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1821: **Turco-Egyptian conquest reaches Sudan** — Muhammad Ali's forces conquer the Funj lands and extend Egyptian rule up the Nile, seeking gold, ivory and slaves and making Khartoum the seat of administration. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: Turco-Egyptian conquest of Sudan (1820–1824); Khartoum, Sudan (1821– ))
- 1885: **Mahdist revolt and the fall of Khartoum** — The Mahdist uprising overruns Sudan and captures Khartoum, ending Turco-Egyptian rule and bringing further upheaval to the southern Nile peoples. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: Anglo-Egyptian Condominium)
- 1898: **Mahdist state crushed at Omdurman** — An Anglo-Egyptian army defeats the Mahdist forces at Omdurman, clearing the way for the reconquest of Sudan, including the south. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: Anglo-Egyptian Condominium)
- 1899: **Anglo-Egyptian Condominium established** — Britain and Egypt establish joint rule over Sudan, with the largely Christian and traditionalist south administered separately from the Arab-Muslim north. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: Anglo-Egyptian Condominium; History of South Sudan)
- 1947: **Juba Conference** — Northern and southern representatives meet at Juba to discuss the south's place in a future Sudan, but southern delegates have little leverage over the outcome. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: History of South Sudan)
- 1 Jan 1956: **Sudan's independence; the south sidelined** — Sudan becomes independent under a northern-dominated government, with southern demands for federalism largely unmet. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: History of South Sudan)
- 27 Feb 1972: **Addis Ababa Agreement** — The Addis Ababa Agreement ends the seventeen-year first war, granting the south a single autonomous region and integrating Anyanya fighters into Sudan's forces. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: Sudan: The Addis Ababa Agreement; Addis Ababa Agreement (1972))
- Jul 2005: **Death of John Garang** — Weeks after becoming Sudan's first vice-president, John Garang dies in a helicopter crash; Salva Kiir Mayardit succeeds him as SPLM leader and southern president. (from the South Sudan chronicle; sources: South Sudan: The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Conflict, Independence; Ten Years Later: Taking Stock of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement)
- 9 July 2011: **South Sudan secedes** — After a referendum, South Sudan becomes independent, taking most of the former Sudan's oil with it. (from the Sudan chronicle; sources: Sudan; Independence of South Sudan)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/SDN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/SDS/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Sudan and South Sudan compared", terralore.co/compare/sdn-vs-sds, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.