South Sudan Flag

South Sudan

Population

12,513,668

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
80th
Share of world
0.15%
Annual change
+247,2492.74%

Population of South Sudan

020M40M60M80M202612.5M2050 projection18.3M↑ 47% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 12,513,668. 2050 projection: 18,341,974.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for South Sudan. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202612,436,0372.74%80
202512,188,7882.64%81
202010,698,4672.64%87
201910,423,3842.97%88
201810,122,9771.33%90
201710,259,1545.27%88
201511,107,5612.65%81
20109,745,9535.13%88
20057,590,1434.70%93
20006,032,2672.91%100

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Juba is home to 474,156 people, 3.81% of South Sudan's population.

City population400K200K70K
Juba 474.2KMalakal 276.1KYambio 260.4KWau 197.7KRenk 169.9KYei 152.9KMaridi 136.8KAweil 108.0KBentiu 101.7KKapoeta 37.0K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Juba474.2K3.81%
2Malakal276.1K2.22%
3Yambio260.4K2.09%
4Wau197.7K1.59%
5Renk169.9K1.37%
6Yei152.9K1.23%
7Maridi136.8K1.10%
8Aweil108.0K0.87%
9Bentiu101.7K0.82%
10Kapoeta37.0K0.30%

South Sudan by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
South Sudan is home to an estimated 12,513,668 people, the 80th largest population in the world.
Daily change
South Sudan has a net population change of approximately 687 people per day, driven by 1,002 births, 337 deaths, and net immigration of 22 people.
Share of world
South Sudan makes up 0.15% of the world's population and 0.78% of Africa's.
Density
19.7 people per km² of land (51.0 per mi²), ranking 202nd among countries and territories.
Urban living
21.68% of people live in urban areas.

South Sudan Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 4100+ years, female: 495–99 years, male: 1795–99 years, female: 10590–94 years, male: 49790–94 years, female: 1,37185–89 years, male: 3,31185–89 years, female: 6,52480–84 years, male: 10,66180–84 years, female: 18,55175–79 years, male: 24,02575–79 years, female: 36,85670–74 years, male: 47,07770–74 years, female: 64,72665–69 years, male: 78,48565–69 years, female: 100,85060–64 years, male: 117,38760–64 years, female: 144,33855–59 years, male: 170,09555–59 years, female: 202,50750–54 years, male: 235,73150–54 years, female: 271,15445–49 years, male: 282,36445–49 years, female: 319,98040–44 years, male: 286,72240–44 years, female: 323,83735–39 years, male: 258,86535–39 years, female: 287,48830–34 years, male: 320,29030–34 years, female: 331,02125–29 years, male: 467,88325–29 years, female: 465,69320–24 years, male: 677,40920–24 years, female: 672,77415–19 years, male: 803,41515–19 years, female: 791,60610–14 years, male: 801,02410–14 years, female: 785,4225–9 years, male: 717,3815–9 years, female: 704,6310–4 years, male: 812,3560–4 years, female: 791,615100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4200K200K400K400K600K600K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

20 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

58 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

49.17%

Female

50.83%

Life expectancy 55Life expectancy 61

Ethnicity

35.8%

Dinka (Jieng)

  • Dinka (Jieng)35.8%
  • Nuer (Naath)15.6%
  • Shilluk (Chollo)4.9%
  • Fertit4.9%
  • Azande2.7%
  • Bari2.5%
  • Kakwa2.5%
  • Kuku2.4%
  • Murle2.4%
  • Mandari2.4%
  • Didinga1.6%
  • Ndogo1.6%
  • Bviri1.6%
  • Lndi1.6%
  • Anuak1.6%
  • Bongo1.6%
  • Lango1.6%
  • Dungotona1.6%
  • Acholi1.6%
  • Baka1.2%

Reported categories total 91.7%.

Data notes

Source estimate: 2011 est.

Religion

60.5%

Christian, the largest religion

  • Christian60.5%
  • folk religion32.9%
  • Muslim6.2%
  • Other0.4%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2020 est.

Other: less than 0.1%

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - South Sudan United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
  5. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)