Map of Sudan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Long referred to as Nubia, modern-day Sudan was the site of the Kingdom of Kerma (ca. 2,500-1500 B.C.) until it was absorbed into the New Kingdom of Egypt. By the 11th century B.C., the Kingdom of Kush gained independence from Egypt; it lasted in various forms until the middle of the 4th century A.D. After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, with the latter two enduring until around 1500. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, Arab nomads settled much of Sudan, leading to extensive Islamization between the 16th and 19th centuries. Following Egyptian occupation early in the 19th century, an agreement in 1899 set up a joint British-Egyptian government in Sudan, but it was effectively a British colony. Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956. During most of the second half of the 20th century, Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars rooted in northern domination of the largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern portion of the country. The first civil war ended in 1972, but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04, and the final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. South Sudan became independent in 2011, but Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements to normalize relations between the two countries. Sudan has also faced conflict in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile starting in 2003. In 2019, after months of nationwide protests, the 30-year reign of President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR ended when the military forced him out. Economist and former international civil servant Abdalla HAMDOUK al-Kinani was selected to serve as the prime minister of a transitional government as the country prepared for elections in 2022. In late 2021, however, the Sudanese military ousted HAMDOUK and his government and replaced civilian members of the Sovereign Council (Sudan’s collective Head of State) with individuals selected by the military. HAMDOUK was briefly reinstated but resigned in January 2022. General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman, the Chair of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, currently serves as de facto head of state and government. He presides over a Sovereign Council consisting of military leaders, former armed opposition group representatives, and military-appointed civilians. A cabinet of acting ministers handles day-to-day administration.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 1,861,484 km²
Land: 1,731,671 km²
Water: 129,813 km²
Comparative: slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 6,819 km
Border countries (7): (7) Central African Republic 174 km; Chad 1,403 km; Egypt 1,276 km; Eritrea 682 km; Ethiopia 744 km; Libya 382 km; South Sudan 2,158 km
Note: Sudan-South Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei region pending negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north

Elevation
Highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
Lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 568 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 60.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 11.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 49% (2023 est.)
Forest: 12% (2023 est.)
Other: 27.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 15,504 km² (2019)

Major rivers: An Nīl (Nile) (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km; Blue Nile river mouth (shared with Ethiopia [s]) - 1,600 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Geography
Note: the Nile is Sudan's primary water source; its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea


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Population
Total: 50,467,278 (2024 est.)
Male: 25,335,092
Female: 25,132,186
Distribution: with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan is sparsely populated; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur, as shown on this population distribution map
Growth rate: 2.55% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur
Major-language sample(s): ; كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)

Religions: Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.1% (male 10,278,453/female 9,949,343)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 14,211,514/female 14,390,486)
65 years and over: 3.2% (2024 est.) (male 845,125/female 792,357)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 76.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 70.7 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 17.5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 19 years
Female: 19.6 years

Population growth rate: 2.55% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 33.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan is sparsely populated; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur, as shown on this population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 36.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 256 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 46 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 34.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 65.5 years
Female: 70.2 years

Total fertility rate: 4.47 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 25.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 40.3% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 35.1% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 33% (2014)

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.45% (2023 est.); 7.6% (2022 est.); 11.1% (2021 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Khartoum
Geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name derives from the Arabic words ras (head or end) and al-khurtum (elephant's trunk), referring to the narrow strip of land between the Blue and White Niles where the city is located

Administrative divisions: 18 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Blue Nile, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala, Khartoum, North Darfur, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan, White Nile
Note: the peace agreement signed in 2020 included a provision to establish a system of governance to restructure the country's current 18 states into regions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: mixed system of Islamic law and English common law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021)
Head of government: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021)
Cabinet: the military forced most members of the Council of Ministers out of office in 2021; a handful of ministers appointed by former armed opposition groups were allowed to retain their posts; at present, most of the members of the Council are appointed senior civil servants serving in an acting-minister capacity
Election/appointment process: military members of the Sovereign Council are selected by the leadership of the security forces; representatives of former armed groups to the Sovereign Council are selected by the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement
Election results: NA
Expected date of next election: supposed to be held in 2022 or 2023, but the methodology for elections has still not been defined
Note 1: the 2019 Constitutional Declaration established a collective chief of state of the 'Sovereign Council,' which was chaired by al-BURHAN; on 25 October 2021, al-BURHAN dissolved the Sovereign Council but reinstated it on 11 November 2021, replacing its civilian members (previously selected by the umbrella civilian coalition the Forces for Freedom and Change) with civilians of the military’s choosing, but then relieved the newly appointed civilian members of their duties on 6 July 2022
Note 2: Sovereign Council currently consists of 5 generals

Legislative branch
Note: the Parliament of Sudan was dissolved after a coup in April 2019; the August 2019 Constitutional Declaration established Sudan's transitional government; a Transitional Legislative Council (TLC) was to have served as the national legislature during the transitional period until elections could be held, but the TLC has not been created

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, with a green isosceles triangle based on the left side

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan' (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)
Lyrics/music: Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN
History: adopted 1956; originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -13.5% (2024 est.); -29.4% (2023 est.); -1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: -13.5% (2024 est.); -29.4% (2023 est.); -1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 80.7% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 16.5% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 2.9% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 1.2% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -1.3% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 22.1% (2024 est.)
Industry: 23% (2024 est.)
Services: 54.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling

Industrial production growth rate: -13.1% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 10.949 million (2022 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 11.45% (2023 est.); 7.6% (2022 est.); 11.1% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.45% (2023 est.); 7.6% (2022 est.); 11.1% (2021 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $9.045 billion (2015 est.)
Expenditures: $9.103 billion (2015 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 7.4% (of GDP) (2016 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $5.908 billion (2022 est.); $6.664 billion (2021 est.); $5.065 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, sheep and goats, ground nuts (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $11.575 billion (2022 est.); $10.271 billion (2021 est.); $10.52 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: raw sugar, wheat flours, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 3.815 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 13.983 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 882 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.646 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 63.2% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 84%
Access electrification - rural areas: 49.4%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 29.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 68.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Exports: 15 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 200 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 68,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 129,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 1.25 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 84.951 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 300 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 6.145 million Btu/person (2023 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 156,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 34.7 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 26% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 30,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1


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Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2021 est.); 1% of GDP (2020 est.); 2.4% of GDP (2019 est.); 2% of GDP (2018 est.); 3.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
Note: many defense expenditures are probably off-budget

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 45 (2025)

Heliports: 8 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 7,251 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 5,851 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge ;1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 14 (2023)
By type: other 14

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs