Compare
South Sudan vs Zimbabwe
How South Sudan and Zimbabwe compare on 36 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Zimbabwe was higher: 62.8 years against 57.6 years
- GDP per person · In 2015, Zimbabwe was higher: $1,387 against $1,080
- Population · In 2023, Zimbabwe was higher: 16.3 million people against 11.5 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Sudan was higher: 3.43% of GDP against 0.56% of GDP
- Electoral democracy · In 2025, Zimbabwe was higher: 0.27 of 1 against 0.13 of 1
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancySouth Sudan: 57.6 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 62.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Sudan: 9.7 per 100 live births in 2024Zimbabwe: 6.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 63.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zimbabwe: 33.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Sudan: 3.7% in 2017Zimbabwe: 3.19% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Sudan: 12 per 100,000 people in 2017Zimbabwe: 26.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Sudan: 11.5 million people in 2023Zimbabwe: 16.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Sudan: 5.86% a year in 2023Zimbabwe: 1.68% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 3.86 births per woman in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Sudan: 21.7% in 2025Zimbabwe: 40.5% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Sudan: 18 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Sudan: 2.9% in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Sudan: 39.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Zimbabwe: -6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Sudan: 3.43% of GDP in 2025Zimbabwe: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Sudan: $103M in 2025Zimbabwe: $134M in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Sudan: $15 in 2025Zimbabwe: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Sudan: 18.4% of government spending in 2025Zimbabwe: 5.3% of government spending in 2005
- Armed forces personnelSouth Sudan: 53,000 people in 2020Zimbabwe: 51,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Sudan: 0.08% of world capability in 2022Zimbabwe: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Sudan: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Zimbabwe: 0.88% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Sudan: 10 million TIV in 2022Zimbabwe: 20 million TIV in 2023
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time