Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in South Sudan

One in every 377 babies in the world is born here: about 356,181 a year, 0.68 a minute.

Population: 12,188,788
Births a year: 356,181
Life expectancy: 57.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 96.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
60.8
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
54.8
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
71.9
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
96.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
692
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
1.5
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
≈ 10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
≈ 3.6
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
36.7
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
14
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
3.79
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
52
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
35
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
100
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
≈ 10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
45.6
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
≈ $3,742
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
44
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
76.5
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
12.4
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
64
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
70
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
27
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
22
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
5
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
40
World: 91
Internet users (%)
7
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
2.82
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
3.68
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
19.58
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 28.2 → 2026: 58.1 → 2050: 60.8

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 353 → 2026: 90 → 2050: 57

World

Children per woman

1960: 7.2 → 2026: 3.7 → 2050: 2.6

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 9 → 2026: 22 → 2050: 31

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: South Sudan comes up about once in every 377 lives.

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.