South Sudan vs Tanzania
South Sudan vs Tanzania: Government debt
Government debt: 64.2% of GDP in South Sudan in 2025 and 47.8% of GDP in Tanzania in 2023, by IMF estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in South Sudan, by 12.9 percentage points, or 1.27 times that in Tanzania.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- South Sudan has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Tanzania.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Sudan at 46.3% of GDP and Tanzania at 41.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | South Sudan | Tanzania |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64.2 | 49.8 |
| 2024 | 53.7 | 50 |
| 2023 | 60.7 | 47.8 |
| 2022 | 42.2 | 44.9 |
| 2021 | 56.4 | 43.4 |
| 2020 | 48.3 | 41.3 |
| 2019 | 43.4 | 40.4 |
| 2018 | 84.3 | 42 |
| 2017 | 77.5 | 40.1 |
| 2016 | 128.9 | 39.8 |
| 2015 | 58.2 | 39.5 |
| 2014 | 39.6 | 36.4 |
| 2013 | 17.6 | 32.7 |
| 2012 | 8.9 | 30.1 |
| 2011 | – | 28.4 |
| 2010 | – | 27.6 |
| 2009 | – | 23.9 |
| 2008 | – | 21.6 |
| 2007 | – | 23.8 |
| 2006 | – | 34.5 |
| 2005 | – | 46.1 |
| 2004 | – | 44.5 |
| 2003 | – | 44.4 |
| 2002 | – | 47.4 |
| 2001 | – | 50.8 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | South Sudan | Tanzania |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43.2 | 48.1 |
| 2027 | 43 | 46.6 |
| 2028 | 44.4 | 45.2 |
| 2029 | 45.4 | 43.9 |
| 2030 | 45.7 | 42.9 |
| 2031 | 46.3 | 41.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- 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 149 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 Tanzania
Health
- Life expectancySouth Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023Tanzania: 67 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024Tanzania: 3.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Tanzania: 28.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Sudan: 3.7% in 2017Tanzania: 3.69% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017Tanzania: 8.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023Tanzania: 66.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023Tanzania: 2.88% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023Tanzania: 4.61 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Sudan: 21.7% in 2025Tanzania: 36.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Sudan: 18 years in 2023Tanzania: 17.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Sudan: 2.9% in 2023Tanzania: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Tanzania: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025Tanzania: 1.16% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Sudan: $103M in 2025Tanzania: $983M in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Sudan: $15 in 2025Tanzania: $15 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025Tanzania: 5.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020Tanzania: 28,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022Tanzania: 0.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Tanzania: 0.1% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022Tanzania: 4 million TIV in 2025