Population and Demographics

In Sudan's 1993 census, the population was calculated at 25 million. However, no comprehensive census has been carried out since that time due to the continuation of the civil war. The population of metropolitan Khartoum (including Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North) is growing rapidly and is estimated at about 5-6 million, including around 2 million displaced persons from the southern war zone as well as western and eastern drought-affected areas.

Sudan has two distinct major cultures - Arabs with Nubian (Kushite) roots and non-Arab Black Africans - consisting of hundreds of ethnic and tribal divisions and language groups. This makes collaboration between them a major difficulty.

Northern Sudan

Most of the 22 million Sudanese who live in the northern region are Arabic-speaking Muslims, though the majority also use a traditional non-Arabic mother tongue such as Nubian, Beja, Fur, Nuban and Ingessana. Among these are several distinct tribal groups:

• the camel-raising Kababish of northern Kordofan
• Dongolese
• Ga'alin
• Rubatab
• Manasir
• Shaiqiyah
• semi-nomadic Baggara of Kurdufan and Darfur
• Beja in the Red Sea area
• Nubians of the northern Nile areas, some of whom have been resettled on the Atbara River
• Shokrya in the Butana land
• Bataheen bordering the Ga'alin and Shorya in the south west of Butana
• Rufaa, Halaween and many other tribes in the Gazeera region and on the banks of the Blue Nile and the Dindir region
• Nuba of southern Kurdufan
• Fur in the western reaches of the country

Southern Sudan

The southern region has a population of around 6 million and a predominantly rural, subsistence economy. This region has been affected by war for all but 10 years since independence in 1956, resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2 million people have died, and more than 4 million are internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts. In this region, a majority of the population practices traditional indigenous beliefs, although some practice Christianity, partly a result of Christian missionary efforts and partly a holdover from earlier Christian Nubian civilisations.

The south also contains many tribal groups and many more languages are used than in the north. The Dinka, whose population is estimated at more than 1 million, are the largest of the many black African tribes of the Sudan. Along with the Shilluk and the Nuer they are Nilotic tribes. The Azande, Bor, and Jo Luo are "Sudanic" tribes in the west, and the Acholi and Lotuhu live in the extreme south, extending into Uganda.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 41,236,378
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 8,993,483/female 8,614,022)
  • 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 11,327,679/female 11,297,798)
  • 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 536,754/female 466,642)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 18.3 years
  • Male: 18.1 years
  • Female: 18.5 years
• Population Growth Rate: 2.55%
• Birth rate: 34.53 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 8.97 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 61.05 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 61.88 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 58.92 years
  • Male: 57.69 years
  • Female: 60.21 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 4.72 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 2.3%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 400,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Black 52%
  • Arab 39%
  • Beja 6%
  • Foreigners 2%
  • Other 1%
• Religions:
  • Sunni Muslim 70% (in north)
  • Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
  • Indigenous beliefs 25%
• Languages:
  • Arabic (official)
  • Nubian
  • Ta Bedawie
  • Diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages
  • English
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 61.1%
  • Male: 71.8%
  • Female: 50.5%