South Sudan Economy - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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%

male: 21.8%

female: 20.2% (2021 est.)

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 -

306.355 (2021 est.)

165.907 (2020 est.)

157.999 (2019 est.)

141.386 (2018 est.)

113.648 (2017 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding South Sudan on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of South Sudan 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about South Sudan 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.