Rural population growth in South Sudan
South Sudan: Rural population growth was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in South Sudan, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
South Sudan recorded 1.6% for rural population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 53.7% on the previous year and up 212.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in South Sudan peaked at 5.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, -5.8%, in 2017.
South Sudan ranks 30th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.6% | — |
| 1962 | 1.6% | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | +16.0% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 1.5% | -23.4% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -12.7% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 1.7% | +31.6% |
| 1972 | 2.1% | +22.6% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +12.3% |
| 1974 | 2.6% | +10.1% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -9.4% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | -25.4% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -22.6% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | -10.5% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -93.4% |
| 1988 | -3.2% | -4291.3% |
| 1989 | -3.7% | +16.2% |
| 1990 | -0.3% | -91.6% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -528.2% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -32.5% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -42.2% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +279.1% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +35.9% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -19.5% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +15.6% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -32.1% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +40.6% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | +75.0% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 4.2% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | +13.7% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -19.0% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -17.2% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -91.3% |
| 2015 | -1.5% | -593.8% |
| 2016 | -2.9% | +95.2% |
| 2017 | -5.8% | +101.1% |
| 2018 | -1.7% | -70.8% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | -253.3% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | -12.7% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -47.1% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -11.7% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | +255.5% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | -5.0% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | -53.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | -3.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | -0.3% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | -5.8% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 1.0% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
- 27 Belize 1.7% compare
- 28 Congo 1.7% compare
- 29 Madagascar 1.7% compare
- 31 Equatorial Guinea 1.6% compare
- 32 Kyrgyzstan 1.6% compare
- 33 Mozambique 1.6% compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Sudan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1036 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2015)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7832 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2015)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 111.85 current US$ per person (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 17.13 % change on previous year (2015)
- Rural population 9.55 million (2025)
- Rural population 78.3% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 10.4% (2015)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.24 billion current US$ (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in South Sudan?
- Rural population growth in South Sudan was 1.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was -5.8% in 2017.
- How does South Sudan rank for rural population growth?
- South Sudan ranks 30th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 212.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Sudan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.