South Sudan

South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in Central Africa and politically grouped in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. It has a land mass of 644,329km² a population of 11.5 million people and a GDP of US$4.6bn. The inflation rate is running at 91.4%.

South Sudan's economy is projected to contract by 30 percent in FY24/25, but to rebound in FY25/26, if there is a resumption in oil exports of the country’s Dar Blend Oil.
Its currency is the South Sudanese Pound

South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation, after seceding from Sudan in 2011 in a process in which then South African president Thabo Mbeki was the lead negotiator, and which followed a decade-long war for independence. In 2013, the country fell into civil war after disagreements between soldiers loyal to president Salva Kiir and forces loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar, became hostile.

South Sudan is one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, with oil accounting for almost all its exports, 90% of revenue, and more than a third of GDP. Due to the conflict and economic mismanagement, the country's productive capacity has been eroded, although it has returned to relative stability.

Christians, primarily Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian, account for about three-fifths of South Sudan’s population. Christianity is a result of European missionary efforts that began in the second half of the 19th century. The remainder of the population is a mix of Muslims and those who follow traditional animist religions, the latter outnumbering the former.

Poverty remains high, with an estimated 7.7 million people requiring emergency food assistance in 2022.

South Sudan has unexploited deposits of copper, cobalt, zinc and iron ore, while gold is produced by artisanal miners.


Sources: Who Owns Whom sector reports, CIA Factbook, African Development Bank, World Bank, Trading Economics, African Statistical Yearbook and IMF. ?>