South Sudan Economy - 2024

Economic overview

low-income, oil-based Sahelian economy; extreme poverty and food insecurity; COVID-19 and ongoing violence threaten socioeconomic potential; environmentally fragile; ongoing land and property rights issues; natural resource rich but lacks infrastructure

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$20.01 billion (2017 est.)
$21.1 billion (2016 est.)
$24.52 billion (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

-5.2% (2017 est.)
-13.9% (2016 est.)
-0.2% (2015 est.)

Real GDP per capita

$1,600 (2017 est.)
$1,700 (2016 est.)
$2,100 (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.06 billion (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10.52% (2021 est.)
29.68% (2020 est.)
87.24% (2019 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 34.9% (2011 est.)

government consumption: 17.1% (2011 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 10.4% (2011 est.)

exports of goods and services: 64.9% (2011 est.)

imports of goods and services: -27.2% (2011 est.)

Agricultural products

milk, sorghum, vegetables, cassava, goat milk, fruit, beef, sesame seed, sheep milk, mutton

Labor force

4.278 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate

13.91% (2021 est.)
14.03% (2020 est.)
12.23% (2019 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 21% (2021 est.)

male: 21.8%

female: 20.2%

Population below poverty line

76.4% (2016 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

44.1 (2016 est.)

Budget

revenues: $1.94 billion (2019 est.)

expenditures: $1.938 billion (2019 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.3% (of GDP) (FY2017/18 est.)

Public debt

62.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
86.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

8.5% (of GDP) (FY2017/18 est.)

Current account balance

-$6.55 million (2021 est.)
-$1.718 billion (2020 est.)
-$193.95 million (2019 est.)

Exports

$4.652 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.344 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.641 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

China 88%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)

Exports - commodities

crude petroleum, gold, forage crops, lumber, insect resins (2019)

Imports

$4.037 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$4.245 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.893 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

United Arab Emirates 37%, Kenya 18%, China 18% (2019)

Imports - commodities

cars, delivery trucks, packaged medicines, foodstuffs, clothing and apparel (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$183,614,800 (31 December 2020 est.)
$378,281,700 (31 December 2019 est.)
$36,396,400 (31 December 2018 est.)

Exchange rates

South Sudanese pounds (SSP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
306.355 (2021 est.)
165.907 (2020 est.)
157.999 (2019 est.)
141.386 (2018 est.)
113.648 (2017 est.)