South Sudan Population
South Sudan had an estimated population of 12,188,788 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 80th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.15% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.03% a year.
South Sudan at a glance
How South Sudan's population is changing
South Sudan's population is growing fast: +2.03% a year, which works out to about +247,884 people per year, or +679 a day. Births (29.2 per 1,000) and deaths (9.8 per 1,000) alone would give +1.94% a year; net migration adds about 6,145 people a year (+0.05%). Roughly one in every 674 people on Earth lives in South Sudan.
Population of South Sudan since 1960
In 1960, South Sudan had 2,931,559 people. By 2025 that was 12,188,788 — 4.2× larger. The fastest growth came between 2001 and 2011, when the population rose by 63%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,931,559 | — |
| 1970 | 3,409,614 | +16.3% |
| 1980 | 4,339,030 | +27.3% |
| 1990 | 4,737,633 | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 6,032,267 | +27.3% |
| 2010 | 9,745,953 | +61.6% |
| 2020 | 10,698,467 | +9.8% |
| 2025 | 12,188,788 | +13.9% |
South Sudan from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put South Sudan at about 1,027,378 people in 1800; the UN estimates 12,188,798 in 2025 (12× 1800) and projects 23,840,778 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 96% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,027,378 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,205,835 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 1,863,101 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 2,493,286 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 6,032,274 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 12,188,798 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 18,341,975 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 22,690,775 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 23,840,778 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in South Sudan
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 12,188,788. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juba | 391,311 | UN urban centre | 3.21% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Winejok | 300,000 | GeoNames settlement | 2.46% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Yei | 228,087 | UN urban centre | 1.87% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Wau | 140,376 | UN urban centre | 1.15% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Malakal | 111,183 | UN urban centre | 0.91% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Kuacjok | 78,000 | GeoNames settlement | 0.64% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Pajok | 49,000 | GeoNames settlement | 0.40% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Gogrial | 44,600 | GeoNames settlement | 0.37% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Yambio | 40,382 | GeoNames settlement | 0.33% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Aweil | 38,745 | GeoNames settlement | 0.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How South Sudan compares
South Sudan has almost the same population as Tunisia (12,348,573).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #78 |  Bolivia | 12,581,843 | +3% | compare → |
| #79 |  Tunisia | 12,348,573 | +1% | compare → |
| #81 |  Belgium | 11,941,781 | −2% | compare → |
| #82 |  Haiti | 11,906,095 | −2% | compare → |
Compare South Sudan with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around South Sudan
Land neighbours (6)
Ethiopia 135,472,051 · 11.1× the population · compare
DR Congo 112,832,473 · 9.3× the population · compare
Kenya 57,532,493 · 4.7× the population · compare
Sudan 51,662,147 · 4.2× the population · compare
Uganda 51,384,894 · 4.2× the population · compare
Central African Republic 5,513,282 · 2.2× smaller · compare
South Sudan's 6 neighbours together hold 414,397,340 people — 34.0× South Sudan's population. The most populous is Ethiopia (135,472,051).
In its region
South Sudan is the 28th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 0.9% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Juba, Winejok, Yei, Wau, Malakal, Kuacjok, Pajok, Gogrial — all South Sudan's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · South Sudan when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
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.