France vs South Sudan
South Sudan and France are almost exactly the same size.
FranceSouth SudanFrance moved onto South Sudan · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.0×
France is 1.0× the area of South Sudan. Put the other way, South Sudan is 1.0× the size of France.
 France |  South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 643,801 km²#42 of 194 | 644,329 km²#41 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 10 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationFrance: 5.64× the population | 68,720,337#23 of 194 · 2025 | 12,188,788#81 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityFrance: 5.64× the density | 107 / km²#83 of 194 | 19 / km²#170 of 194 |
| Urban populationFrance: 3.63× the urban share | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 | 22%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 2.35× the births per woman | 1.61 per woman#123 of 192 · 2024 | 3.79 per woman#32 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSouth Sudan: 1.78 points higher | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 | +2.03%#47 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSouth Sudan: 3.01× the birth rate | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 | 29.2 per 1,000#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSouth Sudan: 1.04× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 9.8 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15South Sudan: 21.8 points higher | 16.2%#148 of 192 · 2025 | 38.0%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65France: 19.4 points higher | 22.5%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationFrance: 0.8 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | +0.5 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 195.79 per 1,000#1 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFrance: 25.3 years longer | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 21.1× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 71.9 per 1,000 births#1 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsFrance: 82× the doctors per person | 3.28 per 1,000#54 of 178 · 2022 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 71.5%#43 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexFrance: 0.532 higher | 0.920#25 of 190 · 2023 | 0.388#190 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $48,630#23 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $3.37T2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $63,975#28 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +0.8%#160 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| InflationSouth Sudan: 90.5 points higher | +0.9%#144 of 176 · 2025 | +91.4%#4 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentSouth Sudan: 1.65× the unemployment | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2025 | 12.4%#22 of 178 · 2023 |
| Extreme povertySouth Sudan: 765× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 76.5%#3 of 149 · 2016 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Sudan: 12.2 higher | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 | 44.0#19 of 149 · 2016 |
| Jobs in agricultureSouth Sudan: 61.5 points higher | 2.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 | 63.8% of jobs#11 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in industryFrance: 17.6 points higher | 19.3% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7% of jobs#178 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in servicesFrance: 43.7 points higher | 78.3% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 | 34.6% of jobs#158 of 178 · 2023 |
| Foreign investment | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 33.4% of GDP#89 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingSouth Sudan: 1.68× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 | 3.4% of GDP#19 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | 89%#64 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsFrance: 2.49× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2023 | 47 per 100#185 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaFrance: 2.91× the forest share | 33% of land#96 of 192 · 2024 | 11% of land#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energySouth Sudan: 16.2 points higher | 16.2%#118 of 190 · 2021 | 32.4%#76 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityFrance: 94.6 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 5.4%#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)South Sudan: 2.89× the air pollution | 8.2 µg/m³#168 of 191 · 2023 | 23.7 µg/m³#64 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landFrance: 13.4 points higher | 28.8% of land#40 of 191 · 2025 | 15.4% of land#114 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landFrance: 27.5 points higher | 31.3% of land#26 of 190 · 2024 | 3.8% of land#141 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressFrance: 5.1× the water stress | 21.4%#66 of 176 · 2022 | 4.2%#127 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSouth Sudan: 1.04× the rain and snow | 867 mm#99 of 180 · 2022 | 900 mm#97 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityFrance: 1.43 higher | −0.09#110 of 193 · 2025 | −1.52#173 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionFrance: 3.34 higher | +1.24#23 of 193 · 2025 | −2.10#193 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 | — |
| Capital | Paris | Juba |
| Currency | Euro (EUR), CFP Franc (XPF) | South Sudanese pound (SSP) |
| Official languages | French | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +33 | +211 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. France sits at about 43° N and is stretched to 1.87× its true area; South Sudan at 7° N is stretched to 1.02×. That difference is why France looks so much bigger than it is next to South Sudan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is France bigger than South Sudan?
- No. France and South Sudan are almost exactly the same size. France covers 643,801 km² and South Sudan covers 644,329 km².
- How many times does France fit into South Sudan?
- About 1.0 times: South Sudan has 1.0× the area of France.
- Why do France and South Sudan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. France is drawn about 1.87× its true area there and South Sudan about 1.02×. That is why France looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Sudan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, France or South Sudan?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 12,188,788. Density: France 107 per km², South Sudan 19 per km².
- Where do people live longer, France or South Sudan?
- In France: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 57.7 — 25.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do France and South Sudan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — France: semi-presidential republic; South Sudan: presidential republic.