2020 Edition
factbook.json (GitHub)
Introduction
Background
Long referred to as Nubia, modern-day Sudan was the site of the Kingdom of Kerma (ca. 2500-1500 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.
Geography
Area
- land
- 1,731,671 sq km
- total
- 1,861,484 sq km
- water
- 129,813 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
Climate
hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Coastline
853 km
Elevation
- highest point
- Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
- lowest point
- Red Sea 0 m
- mean elevation
- 568 m
Geographic coordinates
15 00 N, 30 00 E
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
Irrigated land
15,504 sq km (2019)
Land boundaries
- border countries
- 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
- total
- 6,819 km
Land use
- agricultural land
- 60.3% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 11.2% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 49% (2023 est.)
- forest
- 12% (2023 est.)
- other
- 27.7% (2023 est.)
Location
north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Major aquifers
Nubian Aquifer System, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Major rivers (by length in km)
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 sq km)
- Atlantic Ocean drainage
- (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
- Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
- Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
- contiguous zone
- 18 nm
- continental shelf
- 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- territorial sea
- 12 nm
Natural hazards
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Natural resources
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower
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
Terrain
generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north
People and Society
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)
Alcohol consumption per capita
- beer
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- other alcohols
- 1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- spirits
- 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- total
- 1.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- wine
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Birth rate
32.95 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
33% (2014)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Dependency ratios
- elderly dependency ratio
- 5.7 (2024 est.)
- potential support ratio
- 17.5 (2024 est.)
- total dependency ratio
- 76.4 (2024 est.)
- youth dependency ratio
- 70.7 (2024 est.)
Drinking water source
- improved: rural
- rural: 59.7% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: total
- total: 64.9% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: urban
- urban: 74.2% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: rural
- rural: 40.3% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: total
- total: 35.1% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: urban
- urban: 25.8% of population (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Ingessana, Uduk, Fallata, Masalit, Dajo, Gimir, Tunjur, Berti; there are over 500 ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
2.15 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 2.8% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 6.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- female
- 34.8 deaths/1,000 live births
- male
- 46 deaths/1,000 live births
- total
- 39.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
Languages
- 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)
Life expectancy at birth
- female
- 70.2 years
- male
- 65.5 years
- total population
- 67.8 years (2024 est.)
Major urban areas - population
6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio
256 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Median age
- female
- 19.6 years
- male
- 19 years
- total
- 19.5 years (2025 est.)
Nationality
- adjective
- Sudanese
- noun
- Sudanese (singular and plural)
Net migration rate
-1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.6% (2014)
Physician density
0.25 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Population
- female
- 25,132,186
- male
- 25,335,092
- total
- 50,467,278 (2024 est.)
Population growth rate
2.54% (2025 est.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- female
- 7 years (2015 est.)
- male
- 7 years (2015 est.)
- total
- 7 years (2015 est.)
Sex ratio
- 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
- at birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- total population
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.41 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population
- 36.3% of total population (2023)
Government
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
Capital
- 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
- geographic coordinates
- 15 36 N, 32 32 E
- name
- Khartoum
- time difference
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth
- no
- citizenship by descent only
- the father must be a citizen of Sudan
- dual citizenship recognized
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization
- 10 years
Constitution
- history
- previous 1973, 1998, 2005 (interim constitution, which was suspended in April 2019); latest initial draft completed by Transitional Military Council in May 2019; revised draft known as the "Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period," or “2019 Constitutional Declaration” was signed by the Council and opposition coalition on 4 August 2019
Country name
- conventional long form
- Republic of the Sudan
- conventional short form
- Sudan
- etymology
- the name derives from the Arabic balad-as-sudan, meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]"
- former
- Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Sudan
- local long form
- Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
- local short form
- As-Sudan
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission
- Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Colleen Crenwelge (since May 2024)
- email address and website
- ACSKhartoum@state.gov https://sd.usembassy.gov/
- embassy
- P.O. Box 699, Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum
- mailing address
- 2200 Khartoum Place, Washington DC 20521-2200
- telephone
- [249] 187-0-22000
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chancery
- 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Mohamed Abdalla IDRIS (since 16 September 2022)
- email address and website
- consular@sudanembassy.org https://www.sudanembassy.org/
- FAX
- [1] (202) 667-2406
- telephone
- [1] (202) 338-8565
Executive branch
- 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
- 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)
- election results
- NA
- 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
- expected date of next election
- supposed to be held in 2022 or 2023, but the methodology for elections has still not been defined
- 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)
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, with a green isosceles triangle based on the left side meaning: red stands for the struggle for freedom; white for peace, light, and love, black for the people; green for Islam, agriculture, and prosperity history: colors and design are based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
Government type
presidential republic
Independence
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008
International organization participation
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU (suspended), CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Judicial branch
- highest court(s)
- National Supreme Court (consists of 70 judges organized into panels of 3 judges and includes 4 circuits that operate outside the capital); a Constitutional Court was required in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration, but it has yet to be implemented
- judge selection and term of office
- National Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges selected by the Supreme Judicial Council
- subordinate courts
- Court of Appeal; other national courts; public courts; district, town, and rural courts
Legal system
mixed system of Islamic law and English common law
National anthem(s)
- history
- adopted 1956; originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military
- lyrics/music
- Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN
- title
- "Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan" (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)
National color(s)
red, white, black, green
National heritage
- selected World Heritage Site locales
- Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region (c); Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe (c); Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park (n)
- total World Heritage Sites
- 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
National symbol(s)
secretary bird
Political parties
Democratic Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party or DUP Federal Umma Party Muslim Brotherhood or MB National Congress Party or NCP National Umma Party or NUP Popular Congress Party or PCP Reform Movement Now Sudan National Front Sudanese Communist Party or SCP Sudanese Congress Party or SCoP Umma Party for Reform and Development Unionist Movement Party or UMP
Suffrage
17 years of age; universal
Economy
Agricultural products
sugarcane, sorghum, milk, onions, groundnuts, sesame seeds, goat milk, bananas, mangoes/guavas, millet (2023)
Budget
- expenditures
- $9.103 billion (2015 est.)
- revenues
- $9.045 billion (2015 est.)
Current account balance
- Current account balance 2020
- -$5.841 billion (2020 est.)
- Current account balance 2021
- -$2.62 billion (2021 est.)
- Current account balance 2022
- -$4.443 billion (2022 est.)
Debt - external
- Debt - external 2023
- $21.65 billion (2023 est.)
Economic overview
low-income Sahel economy devastated by ongoing civil war; major impacts on rural income, basic commodity prices, industrial production, agricultural supply chain, communications and commerce; hyperinflation and currency depreciation worsening food access and humanitarian conditions
Exchange rates
- Currency
- Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2018
- 24.329 (2018 est.)
- Exchange rates 2019
- 45.767 (2019 est.)
- Exchange rates 2020
- 53.996 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 370.791 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 546.759 (2022 est.)
Exports
- Exports 2020
- $5.065 billion (2020 est.)
- Exports 2021
- $6.664 billion (2021 est.)
- Exports 2022
- $5.908 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, sheep and goats, ground nuts (2023)
Exports - partners
UAE 21%, China 17%, Saudi Arabia 16%, Malaysia 9%, Egypt 8% (2023)
GDP - composition, by end use
- exports of goods and services
- 1.2% (2024 est.)
- government consumption
- 16.5% (2024 est.)
- household consumption
- 80.7% (2024 est.)
- imports of goods and services
- -1.3% (2024 est.)
- investment in fixed capital
- 2.9% (2024 est.)
- investment in inventories
- 0% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture
- 22.1% (2024 est.)
- industry
- 23% (2024 est.)
- services
- 54.9% (2024 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$49.91 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Imports 2020
- $10.52 billion (2020 est.)
- Imports 2021
- $10.271 billion (2021 est.)
- Imports 2022
- $11.575 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - commodities
raw sugar, wheat flours, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine (2023)
Imports - partners
China 21%, India 19%, Egypt 16%, UAE 14%, Saudi Arabia 7% (2023)
Industrial production growth rate
-13.1% (2024 est.)
Industries
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
- 163.3% (2020 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
- 359.1% (2021 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 138.8% (2022 est.)
Labor force
10.949 million (2022 est.)
Public debt
- Public debt 2016
- 99.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $154.672 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $109.147 billion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $94.42 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- -1% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- -29.4% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- -13.5% (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $3,100 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $2,200 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $1,900 (2024 est.)
Remittances
- Remittances 2021
- 3.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Remittances 2022
- 2.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 2.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2015
- $173.516 million (2015 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016
- $168.284 million (2016 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017
- $177.934 million (2017 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
7.4% (of GDP) (2016 est.)
Unemployment rate
- Unemployment rate 2021
- 11.1% (2021 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 7.6% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 11.45% (2023 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- female
- 13.1% (2022 est.)
- male
- 11.8% (2022 est.)
- total
- 12% (2022 est.)
Energy
Coal
- exports
- 15 metric tons (2023 est.)
- imports
- 200 metric tons (2023 est.)
Electricity
- consumption
- 13.983 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- imports
- 882 million kWh (2023 est.)
- installed generating capacity
- 3.815 million kW (2023 est.)
- transmission/distribution losses
- 3.646 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity access
- electrification - rural areas
- 49.4%
- electrification - total population
- 63.2% (2022 est.)
- electrification - urban areas
- 84%
Electricity generation sources
- biomass and waste
- 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- fossil fuels
- 29.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- hydroelectricity
- 68.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- solar
- 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 6.145 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Natural gas
- proven reserves
- 84.951 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum
- crude oil estimated reserves
- 1.25 billion barrels (2021 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption
- 129,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- total petroleum production
- 68,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- (2022 est.) less than 1
- total
- 30,000 (2022 est.)
Broadcast media
state-owned broadcasters that self-censor but are somewhat independent (2022)
Internet country code
.sd
Internet users
- percent of population
- 26% (2020 est.)
Telephones - fixed lines
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- (2022 est.) less than 1
- total subscriptions
- 156,000 (2022 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 74 (2022 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 34.7 million (2022 est.)
Transportation
Airports
45 (2025)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
ST
Heliports
8 (2025)
Merchant marine
- by type
- other 14
- total
- 14 (2023)
Ports
- key ports
- Al Khair Oil Terminal, Beshayer Oil Terminal, Port Sudan, Sawakin Harbor
- large
- 0
- medium
- 2
- ports with oil terminals
- 3
- small
- 2
- total ports
- 4 (2024)
- very small
- 0
Railways
- narrow gauge
- 5,851 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge
- total
- 7,251 km (2014)
Military and Security
Military - note
the primary responsibilities of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are border control, external defense, and internal security; SAF operations have traditionally been supported by militia and paramilitary forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF); in the Spring of 2023, fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF, particularly around the capital Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur, amid disputes over an internationally-backed plan for a transition towards civilian rule; fighting subsequently spread and continued into 2025 with reports of atrocities, ethnic cleansing, food insecurity, heavy civilian casualties, and millions of internally displaced persons; each side is supported by allied militias and both reportedly have received foreign support the Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the military has a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exports the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has operated in the disputed Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011; UNISFA's mission includes ensuring security, protecting civilians, strengthening the capacity of the Abyei Police Service, de-mining, monitoring/verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the area, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid; as of 2025, UNISFA had approximately 3,800 personnel assigned (2025)
Military and security forces
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Ground Force (Sudanese Army), Sudanese Navy, Sudanese Air Force; Rapid Support Forces (RSF); Border Guards Ministry of Interior: Sudan Police Forces (SPF), Central Reserve Police (CRP) (2025)
Military and security service personnel strengths
prior to the outbreak of fighting between the SAF and the RSF in 2023, size estimates for Sudan's armed forces varied widely: up to 200,000 SAF; up to 100,000 RSF; up to 80,000 Central Reserve Police (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the SAF's inventory includes a mix of mostly Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and some domestically produced weapons systems; Sudan has a state-run defense industry, which mostly manufactures copies of foreign-supplied armaments, such as armored vehicles, under license (2025)
Military expenditures
- Military Expenditures 2017
- 3.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2018
- 2% of GDP (2018 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2019
- 2.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2020
- 1% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2021
- 1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military service age and obligation
18-33 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service for men and women; service obligation 12-24 months (2025)
Transnational Issues
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- IDPs
- 11,559,970 (2024 est.)
- refugees
- 837,988 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons
- tier rating
- Tier 3 — Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Sudan remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/sudan
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa’ida; Harakat Sawa’d Misr
Environment
Carbon dioxide emissions
- from coal and metallurgical coke
- 300 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids
- 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- total emissions
- 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environmental issues
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water scarcity and drought; overhunting; soil erosion; desertification; deforestation; loss of biodiversity
International environmental agreements
- party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Methane emissions
- agriculture
- 1,509.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- energy
- 218.5 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- other
- 38.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- waste
- 198.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
24.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
37.8 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- agricultural
- 25.91 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- industrial
- 75 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- municipal
- 950 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually
- 2.831 million tons (2024 est.)
- percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 8.9% (2022 est.)