Sudan vs Zambia
Sudan vs Zambia: Government debt
Government debt: 191.3% of GDP in Sudan in 2021 and 100.6% of GDP in Zambia in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Sudan, by 80.3 percentage points, or 1.72 times that in Zambia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Sudan has been higher since 2006, when it overtook Zambia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Sudan at 192.2% of GDP and Zambia at 56.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Sudan | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 204.4 | 100.6 |
| 2024 | 282.3 | 125.5 |
| 2023 | 286.9 | 136.8 |
| 2022 | 189 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 191.3 | 111 |
| 2020 | 278.8 | 140 |
| 2019 | 216.5 | 103.3 |
| 2018 | 209.8 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | 149.5 | 66.6 |
| 2016 | 109.9 | 61.2 |
| 2015 | 93.2 | 61.9 |
| 2014 | 84.4 | 33.9 |
| 2013 | 105.8 | 25.9 |
| 2012 | 117.7 | 24.9 |
| 2011 | 78.1 | 20.8 |
| 2010 | 74.6 | 18.9 |
| 2009 | 71 | 20.5 |
| 2008 | 55.8 | 19.2 |
| 2007 | 53.7 | 21.9 |
| 2006 | 63.7 | 25 |
| 2005 | 75.5 | 75.8 |
| 2004 | 97.8 | 129.9 |
| 2003 | 117.4 | 159.5 |
| 2002 | 121.7 | 180.2 |
| 2001 | 125.6 | 210.2 |
| 2000 | 143.2 | 261 |
| 1999 | 160.5 | – |
| 1998 | 179.7 | – |
| 1997 | 167.7 | – |
| 1996 | 220.9 | – |
| 1995 | 239 | – |
| 1994 | 386.5 | – |
| 1993 | 285.9 | – |
| 1992 | 495.2 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Sudan | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 334.4 | 82.1 |
| 2027 | 274.1 | 77 |
| 2028 | 235.5 | 72.3 |
| 2029 | 225.2 | 67.2 |
| 2030 | 212 | 61.9 |
| 2031 | 192.2 | 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
Sudan vs Zambia
Health
- Life expectancySudan: 66.3 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSudan: 3.78% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateSudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSudan: 50 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSudan: 0.02% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSudan: 34.9% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageSudan: 18.3 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSudan: 3.2% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateSudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSudan: 0.93% of GDP in 2021Zambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSudan: $2.77B in 2021Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personSudan: $8 in 2021Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSudan: 9.5% of government spending in 2021Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSudan: 144,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerSudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSudan: 57 million TIV in 2025Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsSudan: 11 million TIV in 2013Zambia: 2 million TIV in 1990