Sudan
is the largest country in Africa and
the ninth largest in the world. It
has international borders with 9 countries.
Sudan's 2005 comprehensive peace agreement
(CPA) which was signed by the government
of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM) put an end to the
civil war and opened unprecedented
opportunities for peace, development
and prosperity. Sudan’s total
population is estimated at approximately
39 million people (North: 30,894,000
at 78.9 percent; South: 8,260,490
at 21.1 percent), with a population
growth rate of 2.1 percent per annum.
Sudan has launched a Five-Year Development
Plan within a 25 years strategy (2007-2031).
The Five-Year Development Plan (2007-2011)
intent to reduce poverty and achieve
the Millennium Development Goals.
The size of Sudan’s economy,
in terms of its Gross National Product
has grown fivefold – from USD10
billion in 1999 to USD 53 billion
in 2008.
The Structure of the Sudanese Economy
has shifted over time, from predominantly
reliant on agriculture for growth
and exports, to its current reliance
on the oil sector which has much real
structural change in the Sudanese
economy with 12% of GDP from the oil
sector since 2000. Overall per capita
income of the Sudan increased from
US$ 777 in 2004 to US$ 1,454 in 2009.
However; the distribution of the income
reflects regional disparities and
imbalance growth among the states
due to conflict in areas such as Darfur.
Any objective assessment of Sudan's
progress towards achieving the globally
agreed socio-economic development
goals should not be oblivious to the
detrimental effects of conflicts towards
realizing these objectives. For enhancing
and accelerating progress in order
to achieve the MDGs in the 5 years
remaining to 2015; namely that - effective
and efficient holistic interventions
be made to address the challenges
identified in this report regarding
each of the MDGs, and - a task that
must be given top priority is boosting
and strengthening statistical capacity
to furnish reliable and accurate data
that enable monitoring, tracking and
evaluation of performance regarding
the MDGs and the broader socio-economic
development domains.
MDG 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty
and Hunger
• 46.5% of the population in
Sudan lives below the poverty line
in Northern Sudan compare to 50.6%
in southern Sudan, figures translating
the fact that in each two persons
living in Sudan one is poor.
• Southern Sudan, a region long-affected
by conflict and by the lack of development
efforts, expectedly has visibly high
levels of poverty among the population.
• Poverty rates vary significantly
between states – from three
in four people in Northern Bahr el
Ghazal state (75.6%) to only one in
four people in Upper Nile state (25.7%).
• Employed to population ratio
reported 39.5% based on populations
at working age category (15-59). Unemployment
rate among (15 -59 years) is 17 %.
Youth (15-24) unemployment rate is
25.4%.
• MDER (daily minimum dietary
energy requirement) per person in
Sudan was 1751 Kcals.
• In northern Sudan, the proportion
of the population below the minimum
level of dietary consumption is estimated
at 31.5%.
• The percentage in urban areas
is almost similar to the rural areas
31% and 34% respectively.
• Across the Northern states,
the level of food deprivation varies
significantly. It registered 44% in
the Red Sea, 15% in the Gazira and
River Nile.
• The nutrition situation in
Sudan is poor, characterized by high
levels of underweight and chronic
malnutrition, as well as persistently
elevated levels of acute malnutrition.
• Nationally, one third (31%)
of children under the age of five
years in Sudan is moderately or severely
underweight.
• In southern Sudan, 32.8% of
children under five were underweight.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Estimated poverty incidence
(% of total population)
|
46.5% |
23% |
50.6% |
45% |
Prevalence
of child malnutrition (underweight
for age; % under 5)
|
31.8% |
16% |
48% |
24% |
Proportion
of population below minimum
level of dietary energy consumption
|
28% |
14% |
47% |
11% |
MDG 2 Achieve Universal Primary
Education
• In Northern Sudan Gross Enrolment
Rate (GER) has reached 71.1% with
a wider disparity among states ranging
from 93.75% in Khartoum down to only
36.1% in the Red Sea.
• 72% was the primary School
Gross Enrolment Rate in Southern Sudan
in 2009.
• In northern Sudan, considerable
progress in literacy has been made
as compared to its low rates of 27
.1% for adults in 1990. It was below
20% for women.
• Literacy rates have risen
to 61% for both sexes in 2007. It
has reached 71% for males and fell
to 52% for females.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Gross primary enrolment ratio
|
71.1% |
100% |
48% |
100% |
Adult
literacy rate
|
77.5% |
25% |
36.70% |
- |

MDG
3 Promote Gender Equality and Empower
Women
• In northern Sudan
the data on general education show
modest progress and variations of
girls’ education compared to
boys.
• In the year 2008-2009, the
percentage of boy's enrolment has
dropped slightly from 29.6% to 29.4%,
where as it improved from 26.3% to
29.9% for girls.
• There are considerable gender
disparities among the 15 northern
states in regard to enrollment in
secondary education.
• In Northern Sudan, women occupy
28% of the seats in the newly elected
parliament in 2010.
• Women in the national
legislative council increased from
9.7% in 2004, to 25% in the recently
elected assembly.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Ratio girls to boys in primary
education
|
53.9%
|
100% |
0.7% |
100% |
Share
of women in employment in the
non-agricultural sectors
|
59% |
- |
- |
- |
Percentage
of women in National Assembly/Council
of States
|
25% |
- |
32% |
- |

MDG 4 Reduce Child Mortality
• Pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea,
and malnutrition usually still represent
the major causes of under-five illness
and deaths.
• U5MR (Under five Mortality
Rate) in North Sudan drop to 102/1000
L.B in 2006.
• IMR (Infant Mortality Rate)
in North Sudan increased to 71/1000
L.B in 2006.
• The overall picture shows
inter-regional variations, where (U5MR)
in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, West
Darfur and Red Sea reached 178, 147,
138 and 126 per 1000 L.B (SHHS 2006),
respectively.
• IMR remained high in the same
states mentioned above in addition
to Ghadarif (86/1000 LB).
• In Southern Sudan the young
children face daily threats from Malaria,
diarrheal diseases, Acute Respiratory
Infection (ARI), vaccine preventable
diseases and malnutrition.
• In southern Sudan U5M declined
from an estimated 250 per 1,000 live
births in 2001 to 135 in 2006.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Under-5
mortality rate (per 1,000) |
102 |
41 |
381 |
83 |
Infant
mortality rate (per 1,000 live
births) |
71 |
53 |
131 |
- |
One-year-olds
immunized against measles |
85% |
100% |
20.2% |
- |
MDG 5 Improve Maternal Health
• In northern Sudan there is
an observed instability in MMR levels.
• In the figures in 1990, 1999
and 2006 the rate of MMR was 537,
509 and 638 respectively.
• Delivery by trained personnel
in Northern Sudan accounts for 57%
of deliveries (national average 49.2%)
while institutional deliveries account
for 19.4% of all births.
• The total fertility rate was
5.1 births per woman in 2006 with
marked differences between urban and
rural areas.
• MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio)
in Southern Sudan stood at 1,989 deaths
out of 100,000 lives.
• In southern Sudan only 10.02%
of all births were attended by “skilled”
health staff or Skilled Birth Attendants.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Maternal mortality ratio (per
100,000 live births)
|
638 |
134 |
1,989 |
1680 |
Birth
attended by skilled health staff
|
57% |
90% |
10.2% |
- |
Contraceptive
prevalence rate (current use) |
7.6% |
- |
4.7% |
- |
Adolescent
birth rate (12-14) years |
|
- |
204/1000 |
- |
Antenatal
care coverage (at least one
visit and at least four visits |
70% |
- |
16% |
- |

MDG 6 Combat HIV Aids, Malaria and
other diseases
• The estimated HIV prevalence
among the general population 15-49
years in North Sudan is 0.67%.
• The average HIV prevalence
rate among pregnant women attending
antenatal care (ANC) is 0.19%.
• In southern Sudan the provisional
estimate of HIV prevalence among the
general population is slightly over
3 percent.
• Only 4% of the respondents
knew all the three ways to prevent
HIV transmission in Sudan.
• Malaria is a leading cause
of morbidity and mortality in Sudan.
• All states except Blue Nile
(12.5%) and West Darfur (7.1%) reported
prevalence of less than 3%.
• In northern Sudan, the percentage
of households with at least one Insecticide
Treated Net (ITNs) stood at 41% in
2009.
• Sudan carries 15% of the TB
burden in the Eastern Mediterranean
Region (EMR).
• In 2009, the estimated incidence
of new smear-positive TB cases was
60 per 100 thousand populations, translating
to almost 18,536 new smear-positive
cases.
• The actual detected were 8572
cases. This means a case detection
rate of 46.2%.
• In Southern Sudan tuberculosis
is one of the major causes of mortality
and morbidity.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
HIV prevalence among population
aged 15-24 years
|
0.5%
males & 1.24% females |
- |
2.3% |
- |
Proportion
of population aged 15-24 years
with comprehensive correct knowledge
of HIV/AIDS
|
4%
(all the three ways to prevent
HIV transmission in Sudan) |
- |
|
- |
Proportion
of population with advanced
HIV infection with access to
antiretroviral drugs
|
13.1% |
- |
|
- |
Incidence
and death rates associated with
malaria
|
3.1
million reported cases
8,844 death cases
|
- |
80%
at risk of malaria |
- |
Proportion
of children under 5 sleeping
under insecticide-treated bed
nets
|
41% |
- |
36% |
- |
Incidence,
prevalence and death rates associated
with tuberculosis
|
120
Per 100,000 |
- |
79
Per 100,000 |
- |
Proportion
of tuberculosis cases detected
and cured under directly observed
treatment short course
|
81.8% |
- |
158
Per 100,000 |
- |
MDG 7 Integrate the principles of
sustainable development into
country policies and programmes; reverse
loss of environmental resources
• Sudan is endowed with huge
and diversified natural resources,
fertile land, natural forests, fresh
water, biodiversity, wild and domestic
animal stock, marine ecosystems, mineral
and soil resources.
• Sudan has achieved total compliance
to Montreal protocol objectives (total
phase out) of Ozone depleting potential.
Zero consumption of Coloro-Floro Carbon
(CFCs) was achieved by 2010.
• The consumed water is used
for irrigation 67%, industry 5%, human
and livestock drinking and domestic
use 28%. The evapo-transpiration losses
account for 17%.
• In Northern Sudan access to
safe drinking water has decreased
to 58.7% and access to improved sanitation
increased to 39.9% in comparison with
the baseline year access figures.
• In Southern Sudan, less than
half of the population (about 48.30%)
had access to improved sources of
drinking water, and unprotected wells
were still the most important sources
of water.
• In Southern Sudan, on average,
only 6% of the households use sanitary
means of excreta disposal.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Access to improved drinking
water source (% of population)
|
58.7% |
82% |
48.3% |
75% |
Access
to improved sanitation (% of
population)
|
39.9% |
67% |
6% |
53% |

MDG 8 Develop a Global Partnership
for development
• ODA declined from 7.2% in
2005 to 4.8% in 2008, with a sharp
decline in the growth rate from 44.7%
in 2005 to -16% in 2007 to –
5.6% in 2008.
• On average, most of the exports
revenues of Sudan come from oil (86%
of total) and the rest 14% from agricultural
and other industrial and non-oil exports
during 2000-2009.
• Regarding the affordability
of medicines, on average, a lowest
paid Sudanese government worker would
generally need less than 1 day’s
wages for most model treatments when
using generics in any of the health
sectors.
• The total external debt of
Sudan in 2009 amounted to US$ 35.7
billion, showing an increase of about
US$ 2,145 billion compared to 2008.
• In Sudan the estimated Telephone
lines per 100 populations was 0.9
% of populations in 2009.
• In Sudan the estimated Cellular
subscribers per 100 population 28
% of population in 2009.
• In Sudan the estimated Internet
users per 100 populations was 10.4
% of Population in 2010.
Indicators
|
Northern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Southern
Sudan |
2015
Target |
Proportion of population with
access to affordable essential
drugs on a sustainable basis
|
Public
health sector (40%- 55%) &
private sector (90%) |
- |
Combined
North & South |
Telephone
lines per 100 population
|
0.9
% of populations |
- |
Access
to improved sanitation (% of
population)
|
28
% of population |
- |
Internet
users per 100 population
|
10.4
% of Population |
- |
|