Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Sudan: the economy in numbers
Per person: $1,165, or $2,192 at purchasing power parity. Population: 51.7 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #91 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +7.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $12.3 billion in 1960, $60.2 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $1,086 per person in 1960, $1,165 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: −5.3% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 20 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 1,082 times from 2000 to 2022. Highest annual inflation: 359.1% in 2021. Years with inflation above 100%: 9. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1992: 495.2% of GDP in 1992. IMF forecast for 2031: 192.2%.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Population
1960: 8.36 million · 2025: 51.7 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 15.6% · 2022: 7.5%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 49.6 years · 2024: 66.5 years.
Exports of goods and services
1960: 14.6% · 2025: 1.1%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 8.0%f | 12.0%f | 192.2%f | |||||||
| 2030 | 8.0%f | 12.0%f | 212.0%f | |||||||
| 2029 | 8.0%f | 12.3%f | 225.2%f | |||||||
| 2028 | 10.0%f | 23.7%f | 235.5%f | |||||||
| 2027 | 15.0%f | 50.9%f | 274.1%f | |||||||
| 2026 | 7.0%f | 41.3%f | 334.4%f | |||||||
| 2025 | $60.2B | $1,165 | $2,192 | 3.1% | 99.9% | 204.4%e | 51.7M | 1.1% | ||
| 2024 | $49.7B | $985 | $2,119 | −14.0% | 176.9% | 282.3%e | 50.4M | 66.5 | 0.7% | |
| 2023 | $39.9B | $797 | $2,423 | −29.4% | 66.6% | 286.9%e | 50M | 66.3 | 1.1% | |
| 2022 | $51.7B | $1,046 | $3,355 | −1.0% | 138.8% | 189.0%e | 49.4M | 7.5% | 65.7 | 1.6% |
| 2021 | $34.2B | $712 | $3,249 | −1.9% | 359.1% | 191.3% | 48.1M | 11.1% | 64.5 | 2.2% |
| 2020 | $27B | $578 | $3,349 | −3.6% | 163.3% | 278.8% | 46.8M | 12.0% | 65.1 | 5.1% |
| 2019 | $32.3B | $710 | $3,914 | −2.2% | 51.0% | 216.5% | 45.5M | 11.7% | 65.8 | 8.5% |
| 2018 | $32.3B | $731 | $4,199 | −2.7% | 63.3% | 209.8% | 44.2M | 12.3% | 65.5 | 7.7% |
| 2017 | $41.3B | $967 | $4,252 | 0.7% | 32.4% | 149.5% | 42.7M | 13.0% | 65.1 | 6.1% |
| 2016 | $42.6B | $1,033 | $4,470 | 3.5% | 17.8% | 109.9% | 41.3M | 13.7% | 64.7 | 5.0% |
| 2015 | $51.7B | $1,292 | $4,217 | 1.9% | 16.9% | 93.2% | 40M | 14.4% | 64.4 | 6.4% |
| 2014 | $49.5B | $1,275 | $4,261 | 4.7% | 36.9% | 84.4% | 38.8M | 15.4% | 64.0 | 7.6% |
| 2013 | $43B | $1,139 | $3,725 | 2.0% | 36.5% | 105.8% | 37.8M | 16.3% | 63.4 | 9.5% |
| 2012 | $37.6B | $1,019 | $3,710 | −17.0% | 35.6% | 117.7% | 36.9M | 17.0% | 63.4 | 6.9% |
| 2011 | $55B | $1,333 | $4,112 | −3.2% | 18.1% | 78.1% | 36.1M | 17.4% | 63.2 | 12.5% |
| 2010 | $59B | $1,306 | $3,806 | 3.9% | 13.0% | 74.6% | 35.4M | 15.2% | 63.0 | 17.5% |
| 2009 | $51.6B | $1,178 | $3,732 | −2.8% | 11.3% | 71.0% | 34.6M | 13.0% | 62.7 | 14.6% |
| 2008 | $64.8B | $1,528 | $3,938 | 3.8% | 14.3% | 55.8% | 33.6M | 15.6% | 61.3 | 20.3% |
| 2007 | $59.4B | $1,444 | $3,836 | 5.7% | 14.8% | 53.7% | 32.8M | 15.5% | 61.4 | 16.9% |
| 2006 | $45.3B | $1,132 | $3,637 | 6.5% | 7.2% | 63.7% | 32M | 15.5% | 60.4 | 15.1% |
| 2005 | $35.2B | $906 | $3,407 | 5.6% | 8.5% | 75.5% | 31.3M | 15.5% | 57.2 | 14.5% |
| 2004 | $26.6B | $705 | $3,215 | 5.1% | 9.7% | 97.8% | 30.6M | 15.5% | 56.8 | 14.3% |
| 2003 | $21.4B | $580 | $3,058 | 6.3% | 6.5% | 117.4% | 29.9M | 15.5% | 58.3 | 12.3% |
| 2002 | $18.1B | $506 | $2,898 | 6.0% | 22.2% | 121.7% | 29.2M | 15.5% | 59.3 | 11.4% |
| 2001 | $15.7B | $451 | $2,769 | 6.5% | 1.9% | 125.6% | 28.5M | 15.6% | 59.3 | 9.6% |
| 2000 | $12.3B | $362 | $2,616 | 6.3% | 7.1% | 143.2% | 27.8M | 15.6% | 58.9 | 16.0% |
| 1999 | $10.7B | $325 | $2,475 | 3.1% | 17.2% | 160.5% | 27.1M | 15.4% | 58.6 | 7.8% |
| 1998 | $11.3B | $351 | $2,428 | 4.3% | 24.6% | 179.7% | 26.5M | 15.4% | 58.3 | 6.7% |
| 1997 | $11.7B | $373 | $2,358 | 18.3% | 47.2% | 167.7% | 25.8M | 15.3% | 58.1 | 5.3% |
| 1996 | $9.02B | $295 | $2,006 | 5.9% | 132.8% | 220.9% | 25.2M | 15.6% | 57.6 | 6.2% |
| 1995 | $13.8B | $463 | $1,902 | 6.0% | 68.4% | 239.0% | 24.7M | 15.6% | 57.4 | 5.0% |
| 1994 | $12.8B | $439 | $1,805 | 1.0% | 115.4% | 386.5% | 24M | 15.6% | 57.0 | 4.7% |
| 1993 | $8.88B | $313 | $1,794 | 4.6% | 101.4% | 285.9% | 23.4M | 15.5% | 56.1 | 4.2% |
| 1992 | $7.03B | $253 | $1,710 | 6.6% | 117.6% | 495.2% | 22.9M | 15.7% | 56.0 | 5.2% |
| 1991 | $44.2B | $1,618 | $1,599 | 7.5% | 123.6% | 22.5M | 15.6% | 55.6 | 3.3% | |
| 1990 | $33.6B | $1,257 | $1,468 | −5.5% | 65.2% | 22M | 55.5 | 4.0% | ||
| 1989 | $21.4B | $814 | 8.9% | 66.7% | 21.6M | 54.9 | 5.3% | |||
| 1988 | $14.4B | $553 | −0.3% | 64.7% | 21.1M | 55.0 | 3.8% | |||
| 1987 | $12.1B | $471 | 14.2% | 20.6% | 20.7M | 54.7 | 5.5% | |||
| 1986 | $10.1B | $400 | 5.4% | 24.5% | 20.3M | 54.6 | 4.8% | |||
| 1985 | $8.08B | $326 | −6.3% | 45.4% | 19.9M | 50.0 | 5.8% | |||
| 1984 | $10.4B | $430 | −5.0% | 34.1% | 19.5M | 49.8 | 8.5% | |||
| 1983 | $8.23B | $346 | 2.1% | 30.6% | 19.1M | 49.6 | 10.6% | |||
| 1982 | $8.73B | $379 | 6.0% | 25.7% | 18.5M | 54.4 | 10.0% | |||
| 1981 | $10.8B | $484 | 7.4% | 24.6% | 17.8M | 54.4 | 9.7% | |||
| 1980 | $8.95B | $418 | 1.5% | 25.4% | 17.1M | 54.1 | 10.5% | |||
| 1979 | $8.42B | $409 | −5.0% | 31.1% | 16.4M | 53.4 | 10.0% | |||
| 1978 | $8.13B | $410 | −5.9% | 19.2% | 15.7M | 53.3 | 7.9% | |||
| 1977 | $7.5B | $392 | 6.2% | 17.1% | 15.1M | 53.5 | 9.4% | |||
| 1976 | $6.01B | $325 | 16.7% | 1.7% | 14.6M | 53.3 | 11.2% | |||
| 1975 | $4.82B | $270 | 15.7% | 24.0% | 14.1M | 53.3 | 12.1% | |||
| 1974 | $3.96B | $229 | 11.4% | 26.2% | 13.6M | 53.2 | 12.7% | |||
| 1973 | $3.08B | $185 | 0.6% | 15.3% | 13M | 53.0 | 14.8% | |||
| 1972 | $2.48B | $155 | −5.1% | 13.6% | 12.5M | 52.8 | 16.0% | |||
| 1971 | $2.29B | $147 | 2.2% | 1.3% | 12.1M | 52.5 | 15.6% | |||
| 1970 | $2.1B | $139 | 5.9% | 4.0% | 11.7M | 52.3 | 16.3% | |||
| 1969 | $1.85B | $126 | 1.4% | 12.6% | 11.3M | 52.0 | 15.7% | |||
| 1968 | $1.68B | $118 | 2.0% | −10.0% | 10.9M | 51.8 | 15.1% | |||
| 1967 | $1.61B | $116 | 1.4% | 11.0% | 10.6M | 51.5 | 15.1% | |||
| 1966 | $1.48B | $111 | −3.6% | 1.7% | 10.2M | 51.3 | 14.3% | |||
| 1965 | $1.45B | $111 | 6.8% | −2.4% | 9.86M | 51.0 | 14.2% | |||
| 1964 | $1.39B | $110 | −1.1% | 4.0% | 9.53M | 50.9 | 15.5% | |||
| 1963 | $1.35B | $110 | −2.8% | 4.7% | 9.22M | 50.8 | 16.7% | |||
| 1962 | $1.33B | $111 | 6.9% | 1.7% | 8.92M | 50.4 | 14.6% | |||
| 1961 | $1.22B | $105 | 0.0% | 8.8% | 8.63M | 50.0 | 13.3% | |||
| 1960 | $1.13B | $100 | 0.1% | 8.36M | 49.6 | 14.6% |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 2023–2025, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · DR Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)