Distillers Country guides / Sudan
Sudan
A one-page guide to Sudan for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Khartoum
- Official languages
- Arabic, English
- Currency
- Sudanese pound (SDG)
- Time zone
- UTC+2 (CAT)
- Area
- 1,886,068 km²
People
- Population
- 50.4 million (2025)
- Population growth
- 2.4% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 34.9%
- Aged under 15
- 40.2%
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.4%
- Life expectancy
- 66.5 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$36.5 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$724 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 0% (2025)
- Inflation
- 99.9% (2025)
Climate
Dry semi-desert in the centre and north, grassland and tropical savanna in the south. Rains last about four months in the north (June-September) and up to six in the south (May-October); dust storms (haboobs) are common in dry areas.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Prohibited
- Legal drinking age
- Prohibited for Muslims at all ages; non-Muslims: no statutory minimum, private consumption only (per Wikipedia, citing the 1991 Penal Code arts 78-79)
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 1.4 litres of pure alcohol (2022)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - 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.