Population, total in South Sudan
South Sudan: Population, total was 12.19 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population, total in South Sudan, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population, total in South Sudan stood at 12.19 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in South Sudan peaked at 12.19 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.93 million, in 1960.
That places South Sudan 80th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.15 million | 2.93 million | 3.37 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.79 million | 3.41 million | 4.23 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.70 million | 4.34 million | 4.96 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.20 million | 4.74 million | 5.77 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.51 million | 6.03 million | 9.24 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.59 million | 9.75 million | 11.24 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.37 million | 10.70 million | 12.19 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More climate change data for South Sudan
- Population growth 2.0% (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.5% (2025)
- Urban population 2.64 million (2025)
- Urban population 21.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.658 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2.5% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 15.4% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 15.4% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 1.3 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in South Sudan?
- Population, total in South Sudan was 12.19 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.19 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.93 million in 1960.
- How does South Sudan rank for population, total?
- South Sudan ranks 80th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Sudan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.