Sudan at its true size
Sudan covers 1,886,068 km², number 15 of 194 countries by area. Home to 51,662,147 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,886,068 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 51,662,147 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 27 per km² |
| Capital | Khartoum |
| Local time in Khartoum | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Sudanese pound (SDG) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +249 |
| Codes | SD · SDN · 729 |
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Where Sudan ranks
Among the independent states, in 38 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#30 of 19452 million people#8 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#157 of 19427 people per km²#42 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#159 of 19235% urban#39 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#16 of 1924.26 births per woman#14 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#30 of 192+2.38% a year#21 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#18 of 19233.0 births per 1,000 people#16 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#128 of 1926.3 deaths per 1,000 people#34 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#24 of 19240.2% under 15#22 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#156 of 1923.4% aged 65 and over#27 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#17 of 192+5.6 per 1,000 people#2 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#7 of 19054.60 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#4 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#173 of 185$900 a person#42 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#175 of 184$2,192 a person#43 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#96 of 187+3.1% a year#38 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#2 of 176+138.8% a year#1 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#53 of 1787.5% of the labour force#22 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#41 of 17839.8% of jobs#28 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#143 of 17814.0% of jobs#30 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#134 of 17846.2% of jobs#24 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#162 of 1840.0% of GDP#49 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#168 of 1681.1% of GDP#49 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#118 of 1550.9% of GDP#34 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#161 of 19170 subscriptions per 100 people#38 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#153 of 1850.43 tonnes a person#28 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#147 of 19212% forest#38 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#37 of 19061.0% renewable#30 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#157 of 19266.0% with electricity#23 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#27 of 19137.6 µg/m³#12 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#177 of 1912.8% of the land protected#48 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#92 of 19011.2% of the land arable#27 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#14 of 176118.7% of its available fresh water#4 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#158 of 180250 mm a year#46 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the Sudan’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Sudan fit into…
- Russia: about 9.1 times
- Canada: about 5.3 times
- United States: about 5.2 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes 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
- Blue Nile1,783 km
- Atbarah1,120 km
- Tekezé608 km
Summits
- Marrah Mountains3,042 m
- Jabal Oda2,260 m
Lakes
- Lake Nasser5,250 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Sudan. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Sudan
- How big is Sudan?
- Sudan covers 1,886,068 km², which makes it number 15 of 194 countries by area. About 51,662,147 people live there (2025), 27 per km².
- Is Sudan bigger than Indonesia?
- Sudan and Indonesia are almost exactly the same size. Sudan: 1,886,068 km²; Indonesia: 1,904,570 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Sudan?
- 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 Sudan?
- Sudan shares a land border with Libya, Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Eritrea.