South Sudan vs Zambia
South Sudan vs Zambia: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 64.2% of GDP in South Sudan and 100.6% of GDP in Zambia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 36.4 percentage points, or 1.57 times that in South Sudan.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zambia has been higher since 2019, when it overtook South Sudan.
- In 2025, South Sudan ranked 49 and Zambia ranked 13 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Sudan at 46.3% of GDP and Zambia at 56.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | South Sudan | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64.2 | 100.6 |
| 2024 | 53.7 | 125.5 |
| 2023 | 60.7 | 136.8 |
| 2022 | 42.2 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 56.4 | 111 |
| 2020 | 48.3 | 140 |
| 2019 | 43.4 | 103.3 |
| 2018 | 84.3 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | 77.5 | 66.6 |
| 2016 | 128.9 | 61.2 |
| 2015 | 58.2 | 61.9 |
| 2014 | 39.6 | 33.9 |
| 2013 | 17.6 | 25.9 |
| 2012 | 8.9 | 24.9 |
| 2011 | – | 20.8 |
| 2010 | – | 18.9 |
| 2009 | – | 20.5 |
| 2008 | – | 19.2 |
| 2007 | – | 21.9 |
| 2006 | – | 25 |
| 2005 | – | 75.8 |
| 2004 | – | 129.9 |
| 2003 | – | 159.5 |
| 2002 | – | 180.2 |
| 2001 | – | 210.2 |
| 2000 | – | 261 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | South Sudan | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43.2 | 82.1 |
| 2027 | 43 | 77 |
| 2028 | 44.4 | 72.3 |
| 2029 | 45.4 | 67.2 |
| 2030 | 45.7 | 61.9 |
| 2031 | 46.3 | 56.7 |
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 Zambia
Health
- Life expectancySouth Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Sudan: 3.7% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Sudan: 21.7% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Sudan: 18 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Sudan: 2.9% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025Zambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Sudan: $103M in 2025Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Sudan: $15 in 2025Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024