Urban population in South Sudan
South Sudan: Urban population was 21.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in South Sudan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
South Sudan recorded 21.7% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in South Sudan peaked at 21.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 1982.
That places South Sudan 210th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8.7% | — |
| 1961 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 8.5% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 8.7% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 9.2% | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 9.7% | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 10.4% | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 11.2% | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 11.9% | +6.8% |
| 1990 | 12.6% | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 13.3% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 13.8% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 14.5% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 14.7% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 15.0% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 15.3% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 15.6% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 15.8% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 16.0% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 16.4% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 16.8% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 17.0% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 17.0% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 17.3% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 17.5% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 18.0% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 18.5% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 19.1% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 19.6% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 20.5% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 21.1% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 21.4% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 21.7% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.6% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.5% | 8.5% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.5% | 12.6% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.7% | 16.0% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 17.5% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.2% | 21.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More climate change data for South Sudan
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 30,624 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,725 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 20,899 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.7 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 746.39 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 130.58 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.66 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in South Sudan?
- Urban population in South Sudan was 21.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 1982.
- How does South Sudan rank for urban population?
- South Sudan ranks 210th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Sudan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.