Distillers Country guides / South Sudan
South Sudan
A one-page guide to South Sudan for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Juba
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- South Sudanese pound (SSP)
- Time zone
- UTC+2 (CAT)
- Area
- 644,329 km²
People
- Population
- 12.2 million (2025)
- Population growth
- 2.0% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 21.7%
- Aged under 15
- 38.0%
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.1%
- Life expectancy
- 57.7 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$5.5 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$454 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 41.4% (2025)
- Inflation
- 97.6% (2025)
Climate
Tropical with a wet and a drier season. March is the hottest month (about 23-37 C) and July the coolest (about 20-30 C). The rains usually run May-October, peaking in May.
Alcohol
- Legal drinking age
- 18
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 0.6 litres of pure alcohol (2022)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - South Sudan (basics, climate); IMF DataMapper WEO (GDP, population, growth, inflation; retrieved 26 Oct 2026); UN Comtrade (HS 2208); WHO Global Health Observatory; Wikipedia - Legal drinking age. Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.