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Sudan
Republic of the Sudan · Northern Africa
At a glance
CapitalKhartoum
Most common first languageArabic70% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesArabic, English
CurrencySudanese pound
Drives on theright
Highest pointDeriba Caldera3,042 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfood51% of goods exports, 2018
Services share of exports26.2%of everything sold abroad, 2022
Internet domain.sd
Facts about Sudan
Sudan supplies around 80% of the world's gum arabic, the acacia sap that keeps flavourings from separating out of fizzy drinks.
Source: news.un.org · checked 2026-08-08Sudan by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 51.7m (2025) | 30th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $60.2bn (2025) | 91st of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 1.87m km² (2023) | 15th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $375m (2021) | 109th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $664m (2025) | 161st of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 34.7m (2022) | 45th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 178k km² (2023) | 36th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 1.13m km² (2023) | 10th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 22 Mt (2024) | 84th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 18.0m (2025) | 47th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 66.5 years (2024) | 174th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $1,165 (2025) | 185th of 205 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 138.8% (2022) | 2nd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 7.5% (2022) | 57th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 34.9% (2025) | 176th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 4.26 (2024) | 16th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 0.93% of GDP (2021) | 121st of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 2.4% of GDP (2025) | 183rd of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.42 t (2024) | 164th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.511 (2023) | 176th of 193 |
Land borders
🇨🇫 Central African Republic🇹🇩 Chad🇪🇬 Egypt🇪🇷 Eritrea🇪🇹 Ethiopia🇱🇾 Libya🇸🇸 South Sudan
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
Sudan shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has arabic as its most common first language 17Has english as an official language 63Has arabic as an official language 25Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports food 47Is in northern africa 6
Sudan in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Sudan.
Which country supplies around 80% of the world's gum arabic, the acacia sap that keeps flavourings from separating out of fizzy drinks?
The whole global trade is worth only about $180 million a year, yet no soft-drink maker has found a substitute — a tiny market with near-total pricing power, now largely controlled by armed groups who tax it to fund the fighting. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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