Sudan — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Sudan: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Sudan is a presidential republic in north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea. It covers 1,861,484 sq km. Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north. Climate: hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November).
| Capital | Khartoum |
|---|---|
| Population | 50,467,278 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $94.42 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $1,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -13.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 138.8% (2022 est.) |
| Unemployment | 11.45% (2023 est.) |
| Public debt | 99.5% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $5.908 billion (2022 est.) |
| Imports | $11.575 billion (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 67.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 19.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 36.3% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur |
Sudan’s GDP is $94.42 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $49.91 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -13.5% (2024 est.). See where Sudan ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A neutral quarter in the truest sense: nothing happened that altered the country's course or standing.
The score records absence of momentum honestly — the deeper currents continue, unmoved by the calendar.
- What our model rewards: the economy grew 13.5% last year — genuine momentum
- What drags it down: inflation running at 138.8% — eating paychecks; a current-account deficit of $4 billion (8.9% of GDP) — living beyond its means
Oil, Iron ore, Copper, Chromium, Zinc, Tungsten, Mica, Silver, Gold, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 63.2% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 29.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 68.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 6.145 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $5.908 billion (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $11.575 billion (2022 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $5.7 billion (2022), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council. 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)
Sudan maintains 72 embassies and 7 consulates abroad, hosts 43 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 72 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 7 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 43 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, March 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18917562
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 853 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 45 + 8 heliports (registration prefix ST) |
| Major seaports | Al Khair Oil Terminal, Beshayer Oil Terminal, Port Sudan, Sawakin Harbor |
| Railways | 7251 km |
| Pipelines | 156 km gas, 4,070 km oil, 1,613 km refined products (2013) |
Major airports
Khartoum International Airport (KRT) — Khartoum; Port Sudan New International Airport (PZU) — Port Sudan; Dongola Airport (DOG) — Dongola; El Fasher Airport (ELF) — El Fasher; El-Obeid Airport (EBD) — El-Obeid; Kassala Airport (KSL) — Kassala; Nyala Airport (UYL) — Nyala.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Sudan.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Sudan — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Sudan's power score?
Sudan has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.