South Korea vs Sudan
South Korea vs Sudan: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2008: 98% in South Korea and 53.5% in Sudan, by UNESCO estimates. In 2008 the value was higher in South Korea, by 44.4 percentage points, or 1.83 times that in Sudan.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2008.
- The world as a whole: 83.5% in 2008.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | South Korea | Sudan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 98 | 53.5 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | 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 | – | – | 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
South Korea vs Sudan
Health
- Life expectancySouth Korea: 84.3 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Korea: 3.17% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Korea: 81.2% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Korea: 44.5 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Korea: 18.3% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025Sudan: 0.93% of GDP in 2021
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Korea: $48.9B in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personSouth Korea: $924 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingSouth Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending in 2021
- Armed forces personnelSouth Korea: 569,000 people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025Sudan: 11 million TIV in 2013