Saudi Arabia vs Sudan
Saudi Arabia vs Sudan: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 97.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and 53.5% in Sudan in 2008, by UNESCO estimates. In 2000 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 18 percentage points, or 1.29 times that in Sudan.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- The world as a whole: 81.1% in 2000.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Saudi Arabia | Sudan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 97.9 | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 97.6 | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 95.3 | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 94.4 | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | 53.5 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | 82.9 | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 79.4 | 61.4 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | 70.8 | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Saudi Arabia vs Sudan
Health
- Life expectancySaudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySaudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySaudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSaudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateSaudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSaudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthSaudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSaudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSaudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageSaudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSaudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSaudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSaudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025Sudan: 0.93% of GDP in 2021
- Military spending in US dollarsSaudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personSaudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingSaudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending in 2021
- Armed forces personnelSaudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerSaudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSaudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSaudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSaudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023Sudan: 11 million TIV in 2013