Somalia vs South Sudan
Somalia vs South Sudan: GDP growth
GDP growth: 4% a year in Somalia in 2024 and 41.4% a year in South Sudan in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Somalia, by 32.1 percentage points.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Somalia has been higher since 2024, when it overtook South Sudan.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Somalia at 4% a year and South Sudan at 2.9% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Somalia | South Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.1 | 41.4 |
| 2024 | 4 | -28.1 |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 5.3 |
| 2022 | 2.8 | -5.2 |
| 2021 | 3.5 | 5.3 |
| 2020 | -2.7 | -6.5 |
| 2019 | 3.6 | 0.9 |
| 2018 | 1.4 | -2.1 |
| 2017 | 9.5 | -5.8 |
| 2016 | -1.3 | -13.3 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | -0.2 |
| 2014 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| 2013 | 5.7 | 27.3 |
| 2012 | 1.2 | -50.3 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Somalia | South Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.3 | 10.5 |
| 2027 | 2.7 | 3.9 |
| 2028 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| 2029 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
| 2030 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| 2031 | 4 | 2.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Somalia vs South Sudan
Health
- Life expectancySomalia: 58.8 years in 2023South Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySomalia: 10.1 per 100 live births in 2024South Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySomalia: 66.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSomalia: 3.79% in 2017South Sudan: 3.7% in 2017
- Suicide rateSomalia: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017South Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSomalia: 18.4 million people in 2023South Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023
- Population growthSomalia: 3.57% a year in 2023South Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSomalia: 6.13 births per woman in 2023South Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSomalia: 55.1% in 2025South Sudan: 21.7% in 2025
- Median ageSomalia: 15.5 years in 2023South Sudan: 18 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSomalia: 2.6% in 2023South Sudan: 2.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateSomalia: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023South Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSomalia: 1.54% of GDP in 2025South Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSomalia: $193M in 2025South Sudan: $103M in 2025
- Military spending per personSomalia: $10 in 2025South Sudan: $15 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSomalia: 20.8% of government spending in 2025South Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSomalia: 14,000 people in 2020South Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020
- National powerSomalia: 0.13% of world capability in 2022South Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSomalia: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020South Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSomalia: 2 million TIV in 2025South Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022