Life in South Sudan: Every Number That Shapes It (1800–2100)

A child born in South Sudan in the 2020s can expect to live 62 years on an average income of 3,800 international dollars. These figures represent the baseline of a human life, capturing the quiet progress of development through shifts in health, education, and connectivity. Where 75 percent of the population once lived in extreme poverty, that number has shifted to 35 percent. Each data point serves as a milestone, mapping the transformation of a society as it navigates the complex intersection of global integration and local resilience.

The historical arc reveals a steady, measurable departure from the mid-twentieth century. In the 1950s, life expectancy at birth stood at 36 years, while child mortality was 320 per 1,000 births. Today, those figures have transitioned to 62 years and 75 per 1,000 births, respectively. Educational attainment has climbed from 1.2 years to 6 years of schooling, while electricity at home has risen from 3 percent to 48 percent. These changes reflect a long-term trajectory toward stability, even as traditional markers like annual working hours remain significant at 2,050 hours/year.

For a person born in the 2020s, the environment is defined by emerging infrastructure and shifting demographics. Children per woman have decreased from 6.6 to 4.6, and the shift toward urban environments is evident as 41 percent are now living in cities. With internet access now at 29 percent and the homicide rate at 9.5 per 100,000, the fabric of daily life is fundamentally different from the 1950s. You can see exactly where the birth lottery placed its people by comparing these realities to your own parallel life in South Sudan.