Total population in South Sudan
South Sudan: Total population was 12,067 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in South Sudan, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, total population in South Sudan stood at 12,067 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in South Sudan peaked at 12,067 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3,387 thousands, in 1970.
South Sudan ranks 79th of 230 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,745 thousands | 3,387 thousands | 4,180 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 4,683 thousands | 4,285 thousands | 4,966 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 5,139 thousands | 4,690 thousands | 5,646 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,331 thousands | 5,897 thousands | 9,035 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,538 thousands | 9,453 thousands | 11,357 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,221 thousands | 10,561 thousands | 12,067 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More population data for South Sudan
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.026 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.57 million (2100)
- Population density 37.73 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.026 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 3.79 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 514,794 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 3.79 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 3.79 (2024)
- Natural population growth 1.9 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 3.86 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in South Sudan?
- Total population in South Sudan was 12,067 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 12,067 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,387 thousands in 1970.
- How does South Sudan rank for total population?
- South Sudan ranks 79th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Sudan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release