Demographics of Sudan


The demographics of Sudan include the Sudanese people and their characteristics, Sudan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
File:Sudan Population 1950-2021 Forecast 2022-2032 UN World Population Prospects 2022.svg|thumb|350px|Population, fertility rate and net reproduction rate, United Nations estimates
In Sudan's 1993 census, the population was calculated at 30 million. No comprehensive census has been carried out since that time due to the Second Sudanese Civil War. Estimates of Sudan, including the population of South Sudan, ranged from 37 million to 45 million. Since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, the current population of Sudan is estimated to be about million. The population of metropolitan Khartoum is growing rapidly and ranges from six to seven million, including around two million displaced persons from the southern war zone, as well as western and eastern drought-affected areas.

Overview

The majority of the population in Sudan are the indigenous Nubian inhabitants of the Nile Valley. The majority of ethnic groups of Sudan fall under Arabs, and the minority being other African ethnic groups such as the Beja, Fur, Nuba, and Fallata. When counted as one people Sudanese Arabs are by far the largest ethnic group in Sudan, however African ethnic groups are a large minority if counted as one group. They are almost entirely Muslim; while the majority speak Sudanese Arabic; some other Arab tribes speak different Arabic dialects like Awadia and Fadnia and Bani Arak tribes who speak Najdi Arabic; Bani Hassan, Al-Ashraf, Kinanah and Rashaida who speak Hejazi Arabic. In addition, Arab tribes like the Baggara and other Darfurians, both who speak Chadian Arabic. Sudanese Arabs of northern and eastern parts descend primarily from migrants from the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, a few pre-Islamic Arabian tribes existed in Sudan from earlier migrations into the region from Western Arabia, although most Arabs in Sudan are dated from migrations after the 12th century. The vast majority of Arab tribes in Sudan migrated into the Sudan in the 12th century.

Population size and structure

Achieving good counts of the population is difficult in Sudan, because conducting a census has been difficult due to various conflicts and wars in the southern, eastern and western regions of Sudan over the past few decades. The government of South Sudan has in the past accused Sudan of deliberately manipulating the census in oil-rich regions such as the Abyei district, on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The population count is a determining factor for the share of wealth and power each part of Sudan receives after the secession of South Sudan. Another complication is the Southern Sudanese refugees present in the north, whose citizenship in Sudan after the secession of South Sudan is now in question. 250,000 refugees from Syria live in Sudan.

Age structure

Population Estimates by Gender and Age Group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total20 105 84219 541 77939 647 621100
0–43 506 3283 377 8536 884 18117.36
5–92 801 2662 677 9885 479 25413.82
10–142 325 6242 196 4724 522 09611.41
15–192 073 0061 952 6054 025 61110.15
20–241 816 0411 721 4503 537 4918.92
25–291 547 6131 519 3933 067 0067.74
30–341 295 9651 329 6292 625 5946.62
35–391 085 1011 136 5352 221 6365.60
40–44891 195949 1311 840 3274.64
45–49732 711762 2511 494 9623.77
50–54589 400586 3041 175 7032.97
55–59458 118441 240899 3592.27
60–64340 396314 518654 9151.65
65-69248 570225 431474 0011.20
70-74170 069152 437322 5060.81
75-79109 22497 712206 9360.52
80+115 214100 828216 0420.54
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–148 633 2188 252 31316 885 53142.59
15–6410 829 54710 713 05821 542 60554.34
65+643 077576 4081 219 4853.08

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total20 857 30320 281 59941 138 904100
0–42 873 4652 773 5945 647 05913.73
5–92 571 5622 483 9775 055 53212.29
10–142 304 5292 216 5244 521 05910.99
15–192 280 1482 152 4914 432 63810.77
20–242 158 3441 943 7764 102 1169.97
25–291 821 7851 665 5593 487 3498.48
30–341 442 3321 474 3292 916 6547.09
35–391 179 8491 330 1202 509 9656.10
40–441 000 5751 110 7342 111 3095.13
45–49855 408909 6711 765 0814.29
50–54717 995717 8201 435 8073.49
55–59545 001511 9801 056 9922.57
60–64404 866374 598779 4581.89
65-69275 266247 207522 4801.27
70-74199 364173 388372 7470.91
75-79125 079106 375231 4560.56
80+103 57492 332195 9090.48
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–147 749 5567 474 09515 223 65137.01
15–6412 404 46412 188 20224 592 66659.78
65+703 283619 3021 322 5853.21

Vital statistics

The vital statistics below do not include South Sudan.

Ethnic groups

Sudan is a country characterized by its cultural and ethnic diversity. Various ethnic groups contribute to the rich tapestry of Sudanese society. The major ethnic groups in Sudan include Sudanese Arabs, Nubians, Zaghawa, and Beja, among others.
Sudanese Arabs form the largest ethnic group in Sudan, comprising approximately 70% of the population. They are predominantly Muslim and speak Arabic. Nubians, another significant ethnic group, have their origins in the Nubia region along the Nile River. They have a distinct cultural heritage and are known for their architectural achievements.
The Zaghawa, also known as Beri or Gimi, are an ethnic group with a presence in Sudan, Chad, and other neighboring countries. They have a pastoralist lifestyle and are known for their cattle herding and camel breeding skills.
Additionally, Sudan is home to diverse ethnic groups such as the Fur, Beja, Nuba, Fula Nubian people and a small community of Domari people known by outside groups as "Gypsies". These groups have unique cultural expressions, languages, social structures, and religious practices, contributing to the cultural mosaic of Sudan.
It's important to note that Sudan's demographics have undergone changes, particularly with the secession of South Sudan in 2011. South Sudan was home to many sub-Saharan African ethnic groups. As a result, Sudan's ethnic landscape has evolved, and South Sudan became an independent nation.

Languages

The most widely spoken languages in Sudan are:
  1. Arabic language:
  2. #Sudanese Arabic.
  3. #Najdi and Hejazi Arabic,.
  4. #Chadian Arabic in western region,.
  5. Nubian language in far north,.
  6. Beja language known as Bedawit in far east alongside Red sea,.
Before 2005, only Arabic was the official language. In the 2005 constitution, Sudan's official languages became Arabic and English:
The working constitution of the post-2019 Revolution transitional period specifies no national language.

Religion

In Sudan, 97% of the population adheres to Islam, with the overwhelming majority being adherents of the Sunni branch and the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence. The remainder of the population follows either animist and indigenous beliefs or Christianity, especially in Khartoum and in southern regions of the country bordering South Sudan.
Christians in Sudan which are refugees or immigrants from the south belong to various churches including the Roman Catholic Church, small Melkite and Maronite communities in the north, as well as Anglicans followers in the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the recently formed Reformed Episcopal Church. There are significant but long-established groups of Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christians in Khartoum and other northern cities.
There are also Ethiopian [Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian] and Eritrean Orthodox communities in Khartoum and eastern Sudan, largely made up of refugees and migrants from the past few decades. Other Christian groups with smaller followings in the country include the Africa Inland Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Sudan Church of Christ, the Sudan Interior Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Sudan Pentecostal Church, the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Religious identity plays a role in the country's political divisions. Northern and western Muslims have dominated the country's political and economic system since independence. The NCP draws much of its support from Islamists, Salafis/Wahhabis and other conservative Arab Muslims in the north. The Umma Party has traditionally attracted Arab followers of the Ansar sect of Sufism as well as non-Arab Muslims from Darfur and Kordofan.
The Democratic Unionist Party includes both Arab and non-Arab Muslims in the north and east, especially those in the Khatmia Sufi sect.

Migration

Emigration