Compare
Nigeria vs South Sudan
How Nigeria and South Sudan compare on 36 measures, from 1821 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, South Sudan was higher: 57.6 years against 54.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2015, Nigeria was higher: $2,586 against $1,080
- Population · In 2023, Nigeria was higher: 228 million people against 11.5 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Sudan was higher: 3.43% of GDP against 0.91% of GDP
- Electoral democracy · In 2025, Nigeria was higher: 0.51 of 1 against 0.13 of 1
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023South Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024South Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017South Sudan: 3.7% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017South Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023South Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023South Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023South Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025South Sudan: 21.7% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023South Sudan: 18 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023South Sudan: 2.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023South Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025South Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025South Sudan: $103M in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025South Sudan: $15 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025South Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020South Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022South Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020South Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025South Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time