South Sudan vs Sudan
South Sudan vs Sudan: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 18.4% of government spending in South Sudan in 2025 and 9.5% of government spending in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Sudan, by 6.1 percentage points, or 2.77 times that in South Sudan.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Sudan has been higher since 2016, when it overtook South Sudan.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | South Sudan | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18.4 | – |
| 2024 | 35.1 | – |
| 2023 | 10.8 | – |
| 2022 | 5.7 | – |
| 2021 | 3.4 | 9.5 |
| 2020 | 5.5 | 9.1 |
| 2019 | 7.9 | 8.8 |
| 2018 | 9.8 | 10.6 |
| 2017 | 6.2 | 25.7 |
| 2016 | 9 | 22.8 |
| 2015 | 26 | 21.9 |
| 2014 | 23.7 | – |
| 2013 | 25.9 | – |
| 2012 | 27.7 | – |
| 2011 | 29 | – |
| 2009 | – | 29.1 |
| 2008 | – | 25.3 |
| 2007 | – | 20.9 |
| 2006 | – | 19.3 |
| 2005 | – | 16.8 |
| 2004 | – | 28.2 |
| 2003 | – | 14.9 |
| 2002 | – | 25.4 |
| 2001 | – | 25 |
| 2000 | – | 43.2 |
| 1999 | – | 47.8 |
| 1998 | – | 30.5 |
| 1997 | – | 12.9 |
| 1996 | – | 13.6 |
| 1995 | – | 16.1 |
| 1994 | – | 19.4 |
| 1993 | – | 20.8 |
| 1992 | – | 11.8 |
| 1991 | – | 11.7 |
| 1990 | – | 17.1 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Ranks count the 150 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 Sudan vs Sudan
Health
- Life expectancySouth Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Sudan: 3.7% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Sudan: 21.7% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Sudan: 18 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Sudan: 2.9% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025Sudan: 0.93% of GDP in 2021
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Sudan: $103M in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personSouth Sudan: $15 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Armed forces personnelSouth Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025