Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Sudan was reported at 60.7 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sudan - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Sudan literacy rate by year from 2000 to 2018.

Historical chart and dataset showing South Sudan literacy rate by year from 2008 to 2018.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in South Sudan was reported at 34.52 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Sudan - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 59.798 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 71.581 % for 2000. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 65.690 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 71.581 % in 2000 and a record low of 59.798 % in 2008. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for the Republic of South Sudan (SEADTLITRZSSSD) from 2008 to 2018 about South Sudan, literacy, adult, and rate.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Sudan was reported at 65.44 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sudan - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in South Sudan was reported at 40.26 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Sudan - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in Sudan was reported at 72.51 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sudan - Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 68.668 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 85.695 % for 2000. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 77.181 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.695 % in 2000 and a record low of 68.668 % in 2008. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 46.700 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 52.146 % for 2000. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 49.423 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 52.146 % in 2000 and a record low of 46.700 % in 2008. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in South Sudan was reported at 11.44 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Sudan - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 65.805 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 78.156 % for 2000. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 71.980 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.156 % in 2000 and a record low of 65.805 % in 2008. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

34.5 (%) in 2018. Adult (15+) literacy rate (%). Total is the percentage of the population age 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of literates aged 15 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in South Sudan was reported at 47.37 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Sudan - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in South Sudan was reported at 6.3884 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Sudan - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data was reported at 62.717 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 72.331 % for 2000. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 67.524 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.331 % in 2000 and a record low of 62.717 % in 2008. Sudan SD: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Sudan SD: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 0.913 Ratio in 2008. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.844 Ratio for 2000. Sudan SD: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 0.879 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.913 Ratio in 2008 and a record low of 0.844 Ratio in 2000. Sudan SD: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sudan – Table SD.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Sudan was reported at 16.25 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sudan - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The Sudan Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) was conducted in two phases between November 15, 1989 and May 21, 1990 by the Department of Statistics of the Ministry of Economic and National Planning. The survey collected information on fertility levels, marriage patterns, reproductive intentions, knowledge and use of contraception, maternal and child health, maternal mortality, and female circumcision. The survey findings provide the National Population Committee and the Ministry of Health with valuable information for use in evaluating population policy and planning public health programmes. A total of 5860 ever-married women age 15-49 were interviewed in six regions in northern Sudan; three regions in southern Sudan could not be included in the survey because of civil unrest in that part of the country. The SDHS provides data on fertility and mortality comparable to the 1978-79 Sudan Fertility Survey (SFS) and complements the information collected in the 1983 census. The primary objective of the SDHS was to provide data on fertility, nuptiality, family planning, fertility preferences, childhood mortality, indicators of maternal health care, and utilization of child health services. Additional information was coUected on educational level, literacy, source of household water, and other housing conditions. The SDHS is intended to serve as a source of demographic data for comparison with the 1983 census and the Sudan Fertility Survey (SFS) 1978-79, and to provide population and health data for policymakers and researchers. The objectives of the survey are to: assess the overall demographic situation in Sudan, assist in the evaluation of population and health programmes, assist the Department of Statistics in strengthening and improving its technical skills for conducting demographic and health surveys, enable the National Population Committee (NPC) to develop a population policy for the country, and measure changes in fertility and contraceptive prevalence, and study the factors which affect these changes, and examine the basic indicators of maternal and child health in Sudan. MAIN RESULTS Fertility levels and trends Fertility has declined sharply in Sudan, from an average of six children per women in the Sudan Fertility Survey (TFR 6.0) to five children in the Sudan DHS survey flTR 5.0). Women living in urban areas have lower fertility (TFR 4.1) than those in rural areas (5.6), and fertility is lower in the Khartoum and Northern regions than in other regions. The difference in fertility by education is particularly striking; at current rates, women who have attained secondary school education will have an average of 3.3 children compared with 5.9 children for women with no education, a difference of almost three children. Although fertility in Sudan is low compared with most sub-Saharan countries, the desire for children is strong. One in three currently married women wants to have another child within two years and the same proportion want another child in two or more years; only one in four married women wants to stop childbearing. The proportion of women who want no more children increases with family size and age. The average ideal family size, 5.9 children, exceeds the total fertility rate (5.0) by approximately one child. Older women are more likely to want large families than younger women, and women just beginning their families say they want to have about five children. Marriage Almost all Sudanese women marry during their lifetime. At the time of the survey, 55 percent of women 15-49 were currently married and 5 percent were widowed or divorced. Nearly one in five currently married women lives in a polygynous union (i.e., is married to a man who has more than one wife). The prevalence of polygyny is about the same in the SDHS as it was in the Sudan Fertility Survey. Marriage occurs at a fairly young age, although there is a trend toward later marriage among younger women (especially those with junior secondary or higher level of schooling). The proportion of women 15-49 who have never married is 12 percentage points higher in the SDHS than in the Sudan Fertiliy Survey. There has been a substantial increase in the average age at first marriage in Sudan. Among SDHS. Since age at first marriage is closely associated with fertility, it is likely that fertility will decrease in the future. With marriages occurring later, women am having their first birth at a later age. While one in three women age 45-49 had her first birth before age 18, only one in six women age 20-24 began childbearing prior to age 18. The women most likely to postpone marriage and childbearing are those who live in urban areas ur in the Khartoum and Northern regions, and women with pest-primary education. Breastfeeding and postpartum abstinence Breastfeeding and postpartum abstinence provide substantial protection from pregnancy after the birth uf a child. In addition to the health benefits to the child, breastfeeding prolongs the length of postpartum amenorrhea. In Sudan, almost all women breastfeed their children; 93 percent of children are still being breastfed 10-11 months after birth, and 41 percent continue breastfeeding for 20-21 months. Postpartum abstinence is traditional in Sudan and in the first two months following the birth of a child 90 percent of women were abstaining; this decreases to 32 percent after two months, and to 5 percent at~er one year. The survey results indicate that the combined effects of breastfeeding and postpartum abstinence protect women from pregnancy for an average of 15 months after the birth of a child. Knowledge and use of contraception Most currently married women (71 percent) know at least one method of family planning, and 59 percent know a source for a method. The pill (70 percent) is the most widely known method, followed by injection, female sterilisation, and the IUD. Only 39 percent of women knew a traditional method of family planning. Despite widespread knowledge of family planning, only about one-fourth of ever-married women have ever used a contraceptive method, and among currently married women, only 9 percent were using a method at the time of the survey (6 percent modem methods and 3 percent traditional methods). The level of contraceptive use while still low, has increased from less than 5 percent reported in the Sudan Fertility Survey. Use of family planning varies by age, residence, and level of education. Current use is less than 4 percent among women 15-19, increases to 10 percent for women 30-44, then decreases to 6 percent for women 45-49. Seventeen percent of urban women practice family planning compared with only 4 percent of rural women; and women with senior secondary education are more likely to practice family planning (26 percent) than women with no education (3 percent). There is widespread approval of family planning in Sudan. Almost two-thirds of currently married women who know a family planning method approve of the use of contraception. Husbands generally share their wives's views on family planning. Three-fourths of married women who were not using a contraceptive method at the time of the survey said they did not intend to use a method in the future. Communication between husbands and wives is important for successful family planning. Less than half of currently married women who know a contraceptive method said they had talked about family planning with their husbands in the year before the survey; one in four women discussed it once or twice; and one in five discussed it more than twice. Younger women and older women were less likely to discuss family planning than those age 20 to 39. Mortality among children The neonatal mortality rate in Sudan remained virtually unchanged in the decade between the SDHS and the SFS (44 deaths per 1000 births), but under-five mortality decreased by 14 percent (from 143 deaths per 1000 births to 123 per thousand). Under-five mortality is 19 percent lower in urban areas (117 per 1000 births) than in rural areas (144 per 10(30 births). The level of mother's education and the length of the preceding birth interval play important roles in child survival. Children of mothers with no education experience nearly twice the level of under-five mortality as children whose mother had attained senior secondary or nigher education. Mortality among children under five is 2.7 times higher among children born after an interval of less than 24 months than among children born after interval of 48 months or more. Maternal mortality The maternal mortality rate (maternal deaths per 1000 women years of exposure) has remained nearly constant over the twenty years preceding the survey, while the maternal mortality ratio (number of maternal deaths per 100,000 births), has increased (despite declining fertility). Using the direct method of estimation, the maternal mortality ratio is 352 maternal deaths per 100,000 births for the period 1976-82, and 552 per 100,000 births for the period 1983-89. The indirect estimate for the maternal mortality ratio is 537. The latter estimate is an average of women's experience over an extended period before the survey centred on 1977. Maternal health care The health care mothers receive during pregnancy and delivery is important to the survival and well-being of both children and mothers. The SDHS results indicate that most women in Sudan made at least one antenatal visit to a doctor or trained health worker/midwife. Eighty-seven percent of births benefitted from professional antenatal care in urban areas compared with 62 percent in rural areas. Although the proportion of pregnant mothers seen by trained health workers/midwives are similar in urban and rural areas, doctors provided antenatal care for 42 percent and 19 percent of births in urban and rural areas, respectively. Neonatal tetanus, a major cause of infant deaths in developing countries, can be prevented if mothers receive tetanus toxoid vaccinations.