South Sudan at its true size
South Sudan covers 644,329 km², number 41 of 194 countries by area. Home to 12,188,788 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 644,329 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 12,188,788 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 19 per km² |
| Capital | Juba |
| Local time in Juba | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | South Sudanese pound (SSP) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +211 |
| Codes | SS · SSD · 728 |
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Where South Sudan ranks
Among the independent states, in 35 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#81 of 19412 million people#32 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#170 of 19419 people per km²#47 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#185 of 19222% urban#52 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#32 of 1923.79 births per woman#29 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#47 of 192+2.03% a year#35 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#34 of 19229.2 births per 1,000 people#32 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#40 of 1929.8 deaths per 1,000 people#5 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#33 of 19238.0% under 15#30 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#166 of 1923.1% aged 65 and over#35 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#58 of 192+0.5 per 1,000 people#7 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#1 of 190195.79 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#1 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- Inflation#4 of 176+91.4% a year#3 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#22 of 17812.4% of the labour force#13 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#3 of 14976.5% under $3.00 a day#3 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#19 of 149a Gini index of 44.0#11 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#11 of 17863.8% of jobs#10 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#178 of 1781.7% of jobs#53 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#158 of 17834.6% of jobs#37 of 53 in Africa
- Military spending#19 of 1553.4% of GDP#5 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#185 of 19147 subscriptions per 100 people#52 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- Forest area#151 of 19211% forest#40 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#76 of 19032.4% renewable#40 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#192 of 1925.4% with electricity#54 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#64 of 19123.7 µg/m³#30 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#114 of 19115.4% of the land protected#27 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#141 of 1903.8% of the land arable#40 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#127 of 1764.2% of its available fresh water#32 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#97 of 180900 mm a year#28 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the South Sudan’s area, lit up on the map →
- France1.0×South Sudan and France are almost exactly the same size.
- Somalia1.01×South Sudan and Somalia are almost exactly the same size.
- Afghanistan0.99×South Sudan and Afghanistan are almost exactly the same size.
- Central African Republic1.03×South Sudan is 3% larger than Central African Republic.
- Myanmar0.95×South Sudan is 5% smaller than Myanmar.
- Ukraine1.07×South Sudan is 7% larger than Ukraine.
How many times does South Sudan fit into…
- Russia: about 27 times
- Canada: about 15 times
- United States: about 15 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes South Sudan shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Nile6,650 km
- White Nile2,620 km
- Bahr el Zeraf240 km
Summits
- Kinyeti3,187 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside South Sudan. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about South Sudan
- How big is South Sudan?
- South Sudan covers 644,329 km², which makes it number 41 of 194 countries by area. About 12,188,788 people live there (2025), 19 per km².
- Is South Sudan bigger than France?
- South Sudan and France are almost exactly the same size. South Sudan: 644,329 km²; France: 643,801 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort South Sudan?
- South Sudan lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border South Sudan?
- South Sudan shares a land border with DR Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Kenya, Uganda.