South Sudan vs United States
United States is 15.3 times larger than South Sudan. South Sudan would fit into United States about 15 times.
South SudanUnited StatesSouth Sudan moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.07×
South Sudan is 0.07× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 15.3× the size of South Sudan.
 South Sudan |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 15.3× the area | 644,329 km²#41 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 28× the population | 12,188,788#81 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited States: 1.84× the density | 19 / km²#170 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 3.7× the urban share | 22%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSouth Sudan: 2.33× the births per woman | 3.79 per woman#32 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSouth Sudan: 1.51 points higher | +2.03%#47 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSouth Sudan: 2.75× the birth rate | 29.2 per 1,000#34 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSouth Sudan: 1.09× the death rate | 9.8 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15South Sudan: 20.9 points higher | 38.0%#33 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 15.3 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | +0.5 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSouth Sudan: 19,579× the refugees for its size | 195.79 per 1,000#1 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 21.2 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 13.1× the infant mortality | 71.9 per 1,000 births#1 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 92× the doctors per person | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.550 higher | 0.388#190 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSouth Sudan: 88.5 points higher | +91.4%#4 of 176 · 2024 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentSouth Sudan: 2.95× the unemployment | 12.4%#22 of 178 · 2023 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySouth Sudan: 69.5× the share in extreme poverty | 76.5%#3 of 149 · 2016 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Sudan: 2.2 higher | 44.0#19 of 149 · 2016 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureSouth Sudan: 62.3 points higher | 63.8% of jobs#11 of 178 · 2023 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 17.2 points higher | 1.7% of jobs#178 of 178 · 2023 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 45.0 points higher | 34.6% of jobs#158 of 178 · 2023 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingSouth Sudan: 1.1× the military spending | 3.4% of GDP#19 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 2.4× the mobile subscriptions | 47 per 100#185 of 191 · 2023 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 2.99× the forest share | 11% of land#151 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | — | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySouth Sudan: 21.5 points higher | 32.4%#76 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 94.6 points higher | 5.4%#192 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)South Sudan: 3.39× the air pollution | 23.7 µg/m³#64 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSouth Sudan: 2.5 points higher | 15.4% of land#114 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 12.8 points higher | 3.8% of land#141 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 6.71× the water stress | 4.2%#127 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSouth Sudan: 1.26× the rain and snow | 900 mm#97 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 1.22 higher | −1.52#173 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 2.97 higher | −2.10#193 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Juba | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | South Sudanese pound (SSP) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +211 | +1 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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. South Sudan sits at about 7° N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 South Sudan bigger than United States?
- No. South Sudan is 15.3 times smaller than United States. South Sudan covers 644,329 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does South Sudan fit into United States?
- About 15 times: United States has 15.3× the area of South Sudan.
- Why do South Sudan and United States look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. South Sudan is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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, South Sudan or United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 12,188,788. Density: South Sudan 19 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Where do people live longer, South Sudan or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 57.7 — 21.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do South Sudan and United States have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).