South Sudan vs Sudan
South Sudan vs Sudan: Military spending
Military spending: 3.43% of GDP in South Sudan in 2025 and 0.93% of GDP in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in South Sudan, by 0.59 percentage points, or 1.63 times that in Sudan.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- South Sudan has been higher since 2015, when it overtook Sudan.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | South Sudan | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.43 | – |
| 2024 | 6.55 | – |
| 2023 | 2.38 | – |
| 2022 | 1.58 | – |
| 2021 | 1.51 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 1.87 | 0.98 |
| 2019 | 3.8 | 1.63 |
| 2018 | 4.77 | 1.78 |
| 2017 | 3.99 | 3.29 |
| 2016 | 4.85 | 2.28 |
| 2015 | 8.6 | 2.71 |
| 2014 | 8.58 | – |
| 2013 | 6.57 | – |
| 2012 | 8.77 | – |
| 2011 | 6.09 | – |
| 2010 | 4.14 | – |
| 2009 | 4.97 | 5.45 |
| 2008 | 5.76 | 4.98 |
| 2007 | – | 4.08 |
| 2006 | – | 3.64 |
| 2005 | – | 3.31 |
| 2004 | – | 4.66 |
| 2003 | – | 1.86 |
| 2002 | – | 2.67 |
| 2001 | – | 2.47 |
| 2000 | – | 4.47 |
| 1999 | – | 4.01 |
| 1998 | – | 2.38 |
| 1997 | – | 0.95 |
| 1996 | – | 1.27 |
| 1995 | – | 2.07 |
| 1994 | – | 3.9 |
| 1993 | – | 4.92 |
| 1992 | – | 4.39 |
| 1991 | – | 4.99 |
| 1990 | – | 4.81 |
| 1988 | – | 3.55 |
| 1987 | – | 2.55 |
| 1986 | – | 3.23 |
| 1985 | – | 3.4 |
| 1984 | – | 4.09 |
| 1983 | – | 3.27 |
| 1982 | – | 2.44 |
| 1981 | – | 1.78 |
| 1980 | – | 2.3 |
| 1979 | – | 2.59 |
| 1978 | – | 2.04 |
| 1977 | – | 2.62 |
| 1976 | – | 2.67 |
| 1975 | – | 2.25 |
| 1974 | – | 2.57 |
| 1973 | – | 3.16 |
| 1972 | – | 4.19 |
| 1971 | – | 4.6 |
| 1970 | – | 4.95 |
| 1969 | – | 5.2 |
| 1968 | – | 3.75 |
| 1967 | – | 3.66 |
| 1966 | – | 3.53 |
| 1965 | – | 4.12 |
| 1964 | – | 3.14 |
| 1963 | – | 2.15 |
| 1962 | – | 2.06 |
| 1961 | – | 1.85 |
| 1960 | – | 1.92 |
| 1959 | – | 1.71 |
| 1958 | – | 1.52 |
| 1957 | – | 1.64 |
| 1956 | – | 1.12 |
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.
- 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 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 spending in US dollarsSouth Sudan: $103M in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personSouth Sudan: $15 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingSouth Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending 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