South Africa vs Sudan
South Africa vs Sudan: Military spending
Military spending: 0.74% of GDP in South Africa in 2025 and 0.93% of GDP in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Sudan, by 0.08 percentage points, or 1.1 times that in South Africa.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Sudan has been higher since 1998, when it overtook South Africa.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | South Africa | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.74 | – |
| 2024 | 0.76 | – |
| 2023 | 0.8 | – |
| 2022 | 0.85 | – |
| 2021 | 0.84 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 0.96 | 0.98 |
| 2019 | 0.88 | 1.63 |
| 2018 | 0.89 | 1.78 |
| 2017 | 0.94 | 3.29 |
| 2016 | 0.97 | 2.28 |
| 2015 | 1.01 | 2.71 |
| 2014 | 1.02 | – |
| 2013 | 1.03 | – |
| 2012 | 1.03 | – |
| 2011 | 1 | – |
| 2010 | 1 | – |
| 2009 | 1.09 | 5.45 |
| 2008 | 1.04 | 4.98 |
| 2007 | 1.06 | 4.08 |
| 2006 | 1.15 | 3.64 |
| 2005 | 1.24 | 3.31 |
| 2004 | 1.36 | 4.66 |
| 2003 | 1.47 | 1.86 |
| 2002 | 1.53 | 2.67 |
| 2001 | 1.48 | 2.47 |
| 2000 | 1.39 | 4.47 |
| 1999 | 1.27 | 4.01 |
| 1998 | 1.38 | 2.38 |
| 1997 | 1.58 | 0.95 |
| 1996 | 1.76 | 1.27 |
| 1995 | 2.12 | 2.07 |
| 1994 | 2.56 | 3.9 |
| 1993 | 2.5 | 4.92 |
| 1992 | 2.82 | 4.39 |
| 1991 | 3.22 | 4.99 |
| 1990 | 3.9 | 4.81 |
| 1989 | 4.36 | – |
| 1988 | 4.62 | 3.55 |
| 1987 | 4.19 | 2.55 |
| 1986 | 3.82 | 3.23 |
| 1985 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
| 1984 | 3.7 | 4.09 |
| 1983 | 3.61 | 3.27 |
| 1982 | 3.61 | 2.44 |
| 1981 | 3.64 | 1.78 |
| 1980 | 3.31 | 2.3 |
| 1979 | 3.86 | 2.59 |
| 1978 | 4.56 | 2.04 |
| 1977 | 5.26 | 2.62 |
| 1976 | 4.73 | 2.67 |
| 1975 | 3.88 | 2.25 |
| 1974 | 3.09 | 2.57 |
| 1973 | 2.65 | 3.16 |
| 1972 | 2.37 | 4.19 |
| 1971 | 2.46 | 4.6 |
| 1970 | 2.33 | 4.95 |
| 1969 | 2.61 | 5.2 |
| 1968 | 2.76 | 3.75 |
| 1967 | 2.79 | 3.66 |
| 1966 | 2.71 | 3.53 |
| 1965 | 2.63 | 4.12 |
| 1964 | 2.7 | 3.14 |
| 1963 | 2.07 | 2.15 |
| 1962 | 2.26 | 2.06 |
| 1961 | 1.47 | 1.85 |
| 1960 | 0.95 | 1.92 |
| 1959 | 0.88 | 1.71 |
| 1958 | 0.98 | 1.52 |
| 1957 | 1.3 | 1.64 |
| 1956 | 1.29 | 1.12 |
| 1955 | 1.22 | – |
| 1954 | 1.2 | – |
| 1953 | 1.35 | – |
| 1952 | 1.74 | – |
| 1951 | 1.62 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 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
South Africa vs Sudan
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending in 2021
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 11 million TIV in 2013