South Africa vs Sudan
South Africa has 1.3× the population of Sudan: 64,747,319 vs 51,662,147, a gap of 13.1 million. Sudan is growing faster (+2.38% vs +1.15% a year), adding about 1,227,656 people a year against +744,395. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Sudan would overtake South Africa in about 18 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2043) — a projection, not a forecast. South Africa is the older society: 6.9% aged 65+ against 3.4% in Sudan, while Sudan has more children (40.2% under 15 vs 25.7%). South Africa is 1.9× as densely populated (52.1 vs 26.8 people per km²). GDP per capita is 5.7× higher in South Africa ($6,598 vs $1,165).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (South Africa) and 2025 (Sudan); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
South Africa vs Sudan — side by side
 South Africa |  Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,3192025 | 51,662,1472025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +1.15%2025 | +2.38%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 18.52024 | 33.02024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 9.22024 | 6.32024 |
| Children per woman | 2.212024 | 4.262024 |
| Life expectancy | 66.3 yrs2024 | 66.5 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 25.7%2025 | 40.2%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 6.9%2025 | 3.4%2025 |
| Density | 52.1 /km²2023 | 26.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 1,219,090 km²2023 | 1,878,000 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 63.8%2025 | 34.9%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +146,3702025 | +291,4692025 |
| GDP per capita | $6,5982025 | $1,1652025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #24 | #30 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.79% | 0.63% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). South Africa: 3.9× from 1960 to 2025; Sudan: 6.2× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings
South Africa: South Africa vs India, South Africa vs China, South Africa vs United States, South Africa vs Indonesia, South Africa vs Pakistan, South Africa vs Nigeria, South Africa vs Brazil, South Africa vs Bangladesh.
Sudan: Sudan vs India, Sudan vs China, Sudan vs United States, Sudan vs Indonesia, Sudan vs Pakistan, Sudan vs Nigeria, Sudan vs Brazil, Sudan vs Bangladesh.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.