Sudan

Quick answerSudan is a country in Northern Africa, with a population of 51,767,437 (2025). Its capital is Khartoum, its official languages are Arabic and English, and its currency is the Sudanese pound (SDG). It covers 1,886,068 square kilometres (728,215 square miles), and its time zone is Africa/Khartoum.

Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa, home to about 52 million people. Its capital is Khartoum, its official languages are Arabic and English, and its currency is the Sudanese pound.

Key facts

Capital	Khartoum
Population	51,767,437 (2025) · 51.8 million
Population density	27.8 people per km² (land area)
Area	1,886,068 km² (728,215 sq mi) total · 1,861,484 km² (718,723 sq mi) land
Official languages	Arabic (official), English (official)
Currency	Sudanese pound (SDG, ج.س.)
Time zone	Africa/Khartoum
Government	Federal republic under a military junta
Coastline	853 km
Highest point	Deriba Caldera, 3,042 m
Life expectancy	66.3 years (2023)
Calling code	+249
Driving side	Right
Internet domain	.sd

Overview

Sudan sits in Northeast Africa, between Egypt and the Red Sea to the north and east and South Sudan to the south. It borders the Central African Republic to the south-west, Chad to the west, Libya to the north-west, Egypt to the north, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the south-east, and South Sudan to the south. It covers 1,886,068 square kilometres, making it the third-largest country in Africa, with 853 kilometres of coastline on the Red Sea. The Nile runs through it from south to north, and the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet at Khartoum to form the river itself. The highest ground is the Deriba Caldera in the Marrah Mountains of Darfur, at 3,042 metres.

About 51.8 million people lived in Sudan in 2025, according to the United Nations estimate carried in the country's infobox figures. About 35 per cent of Sudanese live in towns and cities, above all in Greater Khartoum, the capital area at the meeting of the two Niles. Arabic and English are the official languages. Life expectancy at birth was 66.3 years in 2023, and the median age was 19.3 years. These are estimates, not a count: Sudan's last census was in 2008, before South Sudan separated, and the war that began in 2023 has displaced millions of people, above all out of Khartoum.

Sudan was the heart of the ancient Kingdom of Kush, whose kings ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty and built some 255 pyramids, more than twice as many as Egypt. It was later ruled by Turco-Egyptian forces, then by the Mahdist state, then jointly by Britain and Egypt, before independence on 1 January 1956. The country was torn by two long civil wars with the south, and South Sudan separated in 2011. In 2019 protests ended the 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir, and in April 2023 fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a war that has spread across the country.

Today Sudan is in the middle of one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 12 million people forced from their homes since April 2023 and famine in several areas. The armed forces retook Khartoum in March 2025, while the Rapid Support Forces hold much of Darfur and Kordofan. The economy rests on farming along the Nile, above all sorghum, cotton and gum arabic, and almost all foreign trade passes through Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

Notable facts

Sudan has about 255 ancient pyramids, built by the Kingdom of Kush — more than twice as many as Egypt constructed.
At 1,886,068 square kilometres, Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa, after Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Khartoum stands where the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet to form the Nile, the river that runs the length of the country to the Mediterranean.
The war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has forced more than 12 million people from their homes, one of the largest displacement crises in the world.
The island of Meroe, a capital of the Kingdom of Kush, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with pyramids, temples and a royal city in the desert north of Khartoum.

How Sudan compares

Comparison table — Sudan next to 3 similar countries (neighbours first, then the same subregion).

Country	Population	Area	Density	Capital
Sudan ★	51,767,437 (2025)	1,886,068 km²	27.8 people per km²	Khartoum
Egypt	120,101,175 (2026)	1,010,408 km²	120.7 people per km²	Cairo
Ethiopia	135,472,051 (2025)	1,104,300 km²	123.5 people per km²	Addis Ababa
Algeria	47,435,312 (2025)	2,381,741 km²	19.9 people per km²	Algiers

Cities in Sudan

See all 4 cities in Sudan →

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Sudan?

The capital of Sudan is Khartoum, at the meeting of the Blue Nile and the White Nile in the centre of the country. It is also the largest city: Greater Khartoum, the three cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North together, had about 7.1 million people before the war. The armed forces retook the city from the Rapid Support Forces in March 2025, after nearly two years of fighting.

What is the population of Sudan?

Sudan had an estimated population of 51,767,437 in 2025, according to the United Nations estimate. That figure is an estimate, not a count: the last census was in 2008, before South Sudan separated, and the war since April 2023 has displaced more than 12 million people, above all out of Khartoum, whose population has fallen sharply. The World Bank's 2025 estimate is very close, at 51,662,147.

What language is spoken in Sudan?

Arabic and English are the official languages of Sudan. Sudanese Arabic is the language of daily life for most people, while English is used in government, education and business. Many other languages are spoken across the country, including Beja, Nubian languages, Fur and Nuba languages.

What currency is used in Sudan?

Sudan uses the Sudanese pound (SDG, symbol ج.س.). Cash is the usual way to pay, and the pound has lost much of its value during the war, so prices change fast and foreign currency is widely used in practice. Visitors should carry cash, as cards are rarely accepted.

Where is Sudan?

Sudan is in Northeast Africa, south of Egypt and west of the Red Sea. It borders Egypt to the north, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the south-east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the south-west, Chad to the west and Libya to the north-west. The Nile runs through it from south to north, and its capital, Khartoum, stands where the Blue and White Nile meet.

What time zone is Sudan in?

Sudan uses a single time zone, Central Africa Time (UTC+2), across the whole country. The IANA time zone name is Africa/Khartoum. There is no daylight saving time, so the clocks stay the same all year, from the Red Sea coast in the east to Darfur in the west.

Keep exploring

Khartoum — capital of Sudan
Omdurman — city in Sudan
Nyala — city in Sudan
Port Sudan — city in Sudan
Central-african-republic — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
Chad — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
Egypt — neighbouring country
Eritrea — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
Ethiopia — neighbouring country
Libya — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
South-sudan — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
Algeria — another country in Northern Africa
Morocco — another country in Northern Africa
All countries — the full list

Sources & last updated

Last updated: 2026-11-15. Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.