World Bank · data to 2025

Living in Sudan in figures: income, prices and jobs

12 World Bank indicators for Sudan, read in plain English, with how each has moved over about ten years. Useful context if you are weighing a job or a move there.

Short answer

Average income per person in Sudan is about $97 a month (2025). Prices are about 47% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $183 a month would there. Unemployment is 7.5%, and 12% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) fell 55% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 9.4 points and life expectancy rose by 2.5 years.

Mixed pictureReal income per person (after inflation) fell 55% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 9.4 points and life expectancy rose by 2.5 years.

12 figures that describe life in Sudan

Income↓
$1,165

The economy produces about $1,165 a year per resident, roughly $97 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns.

2025 · Rank 20 of 23 · Arab average 15,457 · -9.9% since 2015
Buying power↓
$2,192

Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $2,192 a year would at US prices.

2025 · Rank 22 of 23 · Arab average 29,097 · -48% since 2015
Cost of living↑
53 / 100

Prices overall are about 47% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $53 here.

2025 · Rank 6 of 23 · Arab average 45.1 · +22.5 since 2015
Jobs↓
7.5%

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 7.5 cannot find a job.

2022 · Rank 10 of 23 · Arab average 10.5 · -9.4 since 2012
Young people↓
12%

Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 12 in 100 have no job.

2022 · Rank 7 of 23 · Arab average 24.6 · -18.8 since 2012
Prices↑
138.8%

Prices rose 138.8% in the latest year available.

2022 · Rank 22 of 22 · Arab average 10.2 · +103.2 since 2012
Income equality→ steady
34.2

A Gini index of 34.2 out of 100: a moderate gap between rich and poor.

2014 · Rank 10 of 17 · Arab average 33.3
Poverty→ steady
10.1%

About 10.1 in every 100 people live on less than $3 a day (the World Bank's extreme poverty line).

2014 · Rank 13 of 17 · Arab average 6.9
Health↑
66.5 years

A child born today lives 66.5 years on average.

2024 · Rank 21 of 23 · Arab average 74.5 · +2.5 since 2014
Women in work↓
14.5%

About 14.5 in every 100 women over 15 work or are looking for work.

2022 · Rank 19 of 23 · Arab average 28.5 · -12.6 since 2012
Internet↑
18.6%

About 1.9 in every 10 people use the internet.

2017 · Rank 22 of 23 · Arab average 72.6 · +9.9 since 2007
Migration↑
291,469

More migrants arrive than leave (a net 291,469 people a year).

2025 · Rank 2 of 23 · Arab average 30,802

The arrow compares the latest value with its value about 10 years earlier: green is better, red is worse. Ranks and averages are among the 23 Arab countries on this site.

Is living standard rising? Real income per person since 1990

Income per person with inflation removed (constant 2015 US dollars), so it measures real improvement rather than rising prices.

03687361K1K19901995200020052010201520202025
Real income per person (2015 US$)

Unemployment over the years

0591418199119951999200320072011201520192022
Unemployment %

Life expectancy

01835537119901995200020052010201520202024
Years

And your own salary?

The figures above are national averages. On a gross salary worth $2,000 a month, an expat in Sudan keeps about $1,624 after income tax and social insurance.

Frequently asked questions

What is life like in Sudan, in figures?

Average income per person in Sudan is about $97 a month (2025). Prices are about 47% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $183 a month would there. Unemployment is 7.5%, and 12% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) fell 55% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 9.4 points and life expectancy rose by 2.5 years.

Is Sudan expensive to live in?

Prices overall are about 47% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $53 here. Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $2,192 a year would at US prices. Figures for 2025 from the World Bank.

What is the average income per person in Sudan?

The economy produces about $1,165 a year per resident, roughly $97 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns. (2025). This is the size of the economy divided by the population, not the average salary. To work out a specific salary after tax, use the salary calculator.

Is the economy in Sudan improving or declining?

Mixed picture: Real income per person (after inflation) fell 55% between 2015 and 2025, unemployment fell 9.4 points and life expectancy rose by 2.5 years.

What is the unemployment rate in Sudan?

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 7.5 cannot find a job. Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 12 in 100 have no job. (International Labour Organization estimates, 2022).

Sources

  1. GDP per capita (current US$)
  2. GDP per capita, PPP (current international $)
  3. Price level index (GDP), United States = 100
  4. Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
  5. Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate)
  6. Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)
  7. Gini index
  8. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population)
  9. Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
  10. Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)
  11. Individuals using the Internet (% of population)
  12. Net migration
  13. GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$)
  14. GDP growth (annual %)
  15. Population, total

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, data last updated 13 July 2026.

We show the figures as the World Bank publishes them, without adjustment. National averages do not reflect differences between cities and people.

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