Editing Economy of Sudan

{{Short description|none}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox economy
| country = Sudan
| image = Sudan13243.png
| image_size = 
| caption = 
| currency = [[Sudanese pound]] (SDG)
| fixed exchange = 
| year = Calendar Year
| organs = [[African Union|AU]], [[African Continental Free Trade Agreement|AfCFTA]] (signed), [[Arab League]], [[COMESA]], [[WTO]]
| population = {{increase}} 48,109,006 (2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SD&name_desc=false |title=Population, total |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=7 November 2019}}</ref>
| group = {{plainlist|
*[[Developing country|Developing/Emerging]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2200&sg=All+countries+%2f+Emerging+market+and+developing+economies |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
*Lower-middle income economy<ref>{{cite web |url=https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups |title=World Bank Country and Lending Groups |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=datahelpdesk.worldbank.org |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>}}
| gdp = {{plainlist|
* {{increase}} $31.51 Billion ([[GDP (nominal)|nominal]]; {{abbr|2025|2025 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/SDN |title=IMF DataMapper: Sudan |website=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date= 2025 |access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>
* {{increase}} $117.77 Billion ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]; {{abbr|2025f|2024 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper"/> 
}}
| gdp rank = {{plainlist|
* [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|111th (nominal; 2025)]]
* [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|98th (PPP; 2025)]]
}}
| growth = {{plainlist|   
* {{Decrease}} -2.5%&nbsp;(2022)<ref name="IMF DataMapper" />
* {{Decrease}} -20.8%&nbsp;(2023)<ref name="IMF DataMapper" />
* {{Decrease}} -23.4%&nbsp;({{abbr|2024f|2024 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper" />
* {{Decrease}} -0.4%&nbsp;({{abbr|2025f|2025 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper" />
}}
| per capita = {{plainlist|
* {{increase}} $624 (nominal; {{abbr|2025|2025 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper"/>
* {{increase}} $2,341 (PPP; {{abbr|2025|2024 forecast}})<ref name="IMF DataMapper"/> 
}}
| per capita rank = {{plainlist|
*[[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|173rd (nominal, 2019)]]
*[[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|138th (PPP, 2018)]]}}
| sectors = {{plainlist|
*[[Primary sector of the economy|agriculture]]: 39.6%
*[[Secondary sector of the economy|industry]]: 2.6%
*[[Tertiary sector of the economy|services]]: 57.8% 
*(2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sudan/ |title=The World Factbook |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>}}
| components = 
| inflation = 81.3% (2020 est.)<ref name="2020/01">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2020 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2020/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=48&pr.y=12&sy=2017&ey=2021&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=732&s=NGDP_RPCH%2CPPPGDP%2CPCPIPCH%2CLUR&grp=0&a= |website=IMF.org |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=20 April 2020}}</ref>
| poverty = {{plainlist|
*46.5% in poverty (2009)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.NAHC?locations=SD&name_desc=false |title=Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
*41% on less than $3.20/day (2009)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.LMIC?locations=SD&name_desc=false |title=Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day (2011 PPP) (% of population) |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>}}
| gini = 35.3 {{color|darkorange|medium}} (2013)<ref>{{cite web |title=Income Gini coefficient |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/income-gini-coefficient |website=hdr.undp.org |publisher=World Bank |access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>
| hdi = {{plainlist|
*{{steady}} 0.507 {{color|red|low}} (2018)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/137506 |title=Human Development Index (HDI) |publisher=[[Human Development Report|HDRO (Human Development Report Office)]] [[United Nations Development Programme]] |website=hdr.undp.org |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> ([[List of countries by Human Development Index|168th]])
*0.332 [[List of countries by inequality-adjusted HDI|IHDI]] (2018)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-3-inequality-adjusted-human-development-index-ihdi |title=Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) |publisher=[[Human Development Report|HDRO (Human Development Report Office)]] [[United Nations Development Programme]] |website=hdr.undp.org |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref>}}
| labor = {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} 12,064,673 (2019)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.IN?locations=SD&name_desc=false |title=Labor force, total – Sudan |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>
*41.1% employment rate (2011)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS?locations=SD&name_desc=false |title=Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>}}
| occupations = {{plainlist|
*[[Primary sector of the economy|agriculture]]: 80%
*[[Secondary sector of the economy|industry]]: 7%
*[[Tertiary sector of the economy|services]]: 13% 
*(1998 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>}}
| unemployment = {{plainlist|
*{{increaseNegative}} 25.0% (2020 est.)<ref name="2020/01"/>
*{{decreasePositive}} 19.6% (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>}}
| industries = oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, and milling.
| edbr = {{decrease}} [[Ease of doing business index#Ranking|171st (below average, 2020)]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/sudan |title=Ease of Doing Business in Sudan |publisher=Doingbusiness.org |access-date=2017-01-25 }}</ref>
| exports = {{increase}} $4.1 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| export-goods = gold; oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, peanuts, gum Arabic, sugar
| export-partners = {{plainlist|
*{{flag|UAE}} 53.3%
*{{flag|China}} 14.3%
*{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} 6.27% (2021)<ref name="OECexport">{{cite web |title=Export partners of Sudan |url=https://oec.world/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/sdn/show/all/2021 |publisher=[[The Observatory of Economic Complexity]] |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref>}}
| imports = {{increase}} $8.22 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| import-goods = foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines, chemicals, textiles, wheat
| import-partners = {{plainlist|
*{{flag|China}} 21.2%
*{{flag|UAE}} 15.9%
*{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} 13.6%
*{{flag|India}} 11.7%
*{{flag|Egypt}} 8.26% (2021)<ref name="OECimport">{{cite web |title=Import partners of Sudan |url=https://oec.world/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/import/sdn/show/all/2021 |publisher=[[The Observatory of Economic Complexity]] |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref>}}
| current account = {{decrease}} −$4.811 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| FDI = {{plainlist|
*$25.47 billion (31 December 2016 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
*{{steady}} Abroad: NA}}
| gross external debt = {{increaseNegative}} $56.05 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| debt = {{increaseNegative}} 121.6% of GDP (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| revenue = 8.48 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| expenses = 13.36 billion (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| balance = −10.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| aid = 
| credit = 
| reserves = {{increase}} $198 million (31 December 2017 est.)<ref name="CIAWFSU"/>
| cianame = sudan
| spelling = 
}}

The '''economy of [[Sudan]]''' is largely based on agriculture and oil exports, with additional revenue coming from mining and manufacturing. GDP growth registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and 2007. Sudan had $30.873 billion by [[gross domestic product]] as of 2019, and has been working with the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) to implement macroeconomic reforms, including a managed float of the exchange rate. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter of 1999.

Agricultural production remains important, because it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of the GDP. The [[War in Darfur]], the aftermath of two decades of war in the [[Second Sudanese Civil War]] (1983–2005) in the south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a reliance by much of the population on [[subsistence agriculture]] ensure much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. The problem remains, despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January 2007, the government introduced a new [[Sudanese pound]], at an initial exchange rate of US$1 = [[Sudanese pound|£S.]]2. Sudan is still a [[Least Developed Countries|least developed country]] according to [[United Nations]].

==History==
{{Main|Economic history of Sudan}}
Current GDP per capita of Sudan grew 46% in the 1960s, reaching a peak growth of 170% in the 1970s. But this proved unsustainable and growth consequently scaled back to 34% in the 1980s. Finally, it shrank by 26% in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/economics-business/variable-638.html| title = Sudan Statistics and other info| access-date = 28 May 2006| archive-date = 4 May 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120504135206/http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/economics-business/variable-638.html| url-status = dead}}</ref>

Until the early 1970s Sudan's agricultural output was mostly dedicated to internal consumption. In 1972 the Sudanese government became more pro-Western, and made plans to export food and [[cash crop]]s. However, commodity prices declined throughout the 1970s causing economic problems for Sudan. At the same time, debt servicing costs, from the money spent mechanizing agriculture, rose. In 1978 the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) negotiated a [[Structural Adjustment Program]] with the government. This further promoted the mechanized export agriculture sector. This caused great economic problems for the pastoralists of Sudan.

During the late 1970s and to 1980s, the IMF, World Bank, and key donors worked closely to promote reforms to counter the effect of inefficient economic policies and practices. By 1984, a combination of factors, including drought, inflation, and confused application of [[Sharia|Islamic law]], reduced donor disbursements and capital flight led to a serious foreign-exchange crisis and increased shortages of imported inputs and commodities. More significantly, the 1989 revolution caused many donors in Europe, the U.S., and Canada to suspend official [[development aid|development assistance]], but not [[humanitarian aid]].

However, as Sudan became the world's largest debtor to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund by 1993, its relationship with the international financial institutions soured in the mid-1990s and has yet to be fully rehabilitated. The government fell out of compliance with an IMF standby program and accumulated substantial arrearages on repurchase obligations. A 4-year economic reform plan was announced in 1988 but was not pursued.

An economic reform plan was announced in 1989 and began implementing a 3-year economic restructuring program designed to reduce the public sector deficit, end subsidies, privatize state enterprises, and encourage new foreign and domestic investment. In 1993, the IMF suspended Sudan's voting rights and the World Bank suspended Sudan's right to make withdrawals under effective and fully disbursed loans and credits. Lome Funds and EU agricultural credits, totaling more than one billion euros, also were suspended.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sudan's troubled east is a microcosm of a wider crisis |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/05/sudans-troubled-east-is-a-microcosm-of-a-wider-crisis |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=2023-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408064545/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/05/sudans-troubled-east-is-a-microcosm-of-a-wider-crisis |archive-date=2023-04-08 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sectors==
===Agriculture===
{{main|Agriculture in Sudan}}
[[Image:Sudanese man preparing land by traditional way.jpg|thumb|left|A Sudanese farmer]]
Primary resources are [[agricultural]], including [[cotton]], [[peanut]]s, [[gum arabic]], and [[Sesame|sesame seeds]]. Although the country is trying to diversify its cash crops, cotton and peanuts remain its major agricultural exports. Grain [[sorghum]] (dura) is the principal food crop, and [[wheat]] is grown for domestic consumption. Sesame seeds and peanuts are cultivated for domestic consumption and increasingly for export.

Three main agricultural sub-sectors are active in Sudan: [[pastoral]] [[livestock]], [[Crop farming|cropping]] and fish production.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/771411474649783837/pdf/103352-REVISED-SudanCountryEconomicMemorandumRealizingthePotentialforDiversifiedDevelopmentTheWorldBankWashingtonDC.pdf| title = Sudan Country Economic Memorandum}}</ref> [[Livestock]] production has vast potential, and many animals, particularly [[cattle|cows]], [[sheep]], and [[camel]]s, are exported to [[Saudi Arabia]] and other [[Arabs|Arab]] countries. However, Sudan remains a net importer of food. Problems of investment finance, production and transportation remain the greatest constraints to a more dynamic agricultural economy. A major problem which has been growing for decades is the continual loss of open lands previously used for animal grazing to [[mechanised agriculture|mechanized]] [[drylands]] and [[irrigated]] [[farming]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/771411474649783837/pdf/103352-REVISED-SudanCountryEconomicMemorandumRealizingthePotentialforDiversifiedDevelopmentTheWorldBankWashingtonDC.pdf| title = Agriculture and livestock: Key for economic diversification}}</ref>

Sudan has 84 million hectares of arable land and less than 20% is cultivated. Major agricultural projects such as the Gezera Scheme in [[Al Jazirah (state)|Gezira]] state are underway in order to make Sudan food self-sufficient. Sudan is one of the world's potential breadbaskets and Sudan is nicknamed as the Arab world food basket as it accounts for 45% of arable land in the Arab world.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-19|title=Sudan: The Land of Two Niles {{!}} Islamic Relief UK|url=https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/sudan-the-land-of-two-niles/|access-date=2021-05-15|language=en}}</ref> In 1998 there was an estimated {{convert|16.9|e6ha|e6acre|abbr=unit}} of arable land and approximately {{convert|1.9|e6ha|e6acre|abbr=unit}} set aside for irrigation, primarily in the north of the country along the banks of the [[Nile]] and other rivers.

[[Cash crops]] (as of 1999) grown under irrigation in these areas include [[cotton]] and [[cottonseed]], which is of primary importance to the economy with 172,000 tons and 131,000 tons produced annually respectively,<ref name="Nations">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Sudan-AGRICULTURE.html|title=Sudan Agriculture|publisher=Nations Encyclopedia|access-date=August 30, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081007185823/http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Sudan-AGRICULTURE.html| archive-date= 7 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> [[sesame]] (220,000 tons), [[sugarcane]] (5,950,000 tons), [[peanut]]s (980,000 tons), [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]] (176,000 tons), [[citrus fruits]], [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]] (136,000 tons), tomatoes (240,000 tons), [[mangoes]], [[coffee]], and [[tobacco]].<ref name="Nations"/> The main subsistence crops produced in Sudan are [[sorghum]] (3,045,000 tons), [[millet]] (1,499,000 tons), [[wheat]] (168,000 tons), [[cowpeas]], [[beans]], [[pulses]], [[maize|corn]] (65,000), and [[barley]].<ref name="Nations"/> Cotton is the principal export crop and an integral part of the country's economy and Sudan is the world's third largest producer of sesame after India and China.<ref name="Nations"/>

===Industry===
{{main|Manufacturing in Sudan}}
Sudan's rapid [[industrial development]] consists of agricultural processing, electronics assembly, plastics manufacturing, furniture, tanning, sugar production, meat processing and various light industries located in any of the 10 Industrial areas in Khartoum. Due to the many countries depending on Sudan for medicines and medical services, Sudan is now concentrating on becoming a hub for the medical industry in East Africa, providing facilities and concessions for medical investments and succeeding in covering about 70% of needs and exporting to many neighboring nations. In recent years, the [[Giad|Giad Industrial Complex]] in [[Al Jazirah, Sudan|Al Jazirah]] state introduced the assembly of small autos and trucks, and some heavy military equipment such as armored personnel carriers and the “Bashir” and "Zubair" main battle [[tank]]s as well as handguns, light and heavy machine guns and howitzers and, recently, drone production. Sudan is reputed to have great [[mineral]] resources, and exploration has started extensively for gold, of which is produced nearly 30 tons annually providing a great boost to the foreign exchange reserves of the nation, with the participation of many investment companies from all over the world. Quantities of asbestos, chromium, mica, kaolin and copper are now exploited commercially, especially for export to China.

===Petroleum===
{{main|Petroleum industry in Sudan}}
Extensive [[petroleum]] exploration first began in Sudan in the mid-1970s. Significant finds were made in the [[Upper Nile, Sudan|Upper Nile]] region and commercial quantities of oil began to be exported in October 2000, reducing Sudan's outflow of foreign exchange for imported petroleum products. Today, oil is an important export industry in Sudan. Estimates suggest that oil accounts for between 70% and 90% of Sudan's total exports. The primary importers of Sudanese oil are Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, and India.<ref>Energy Information Administration 2007, [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Sudan/Full.html 'Country analysis brief: Sudan'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313172226/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Sudan/Full.html |date=13 March 2008 }}, ''www.eia.doe.gov'', April. Retrieved on 6 March 2008. (Estimates that oil comprises 70% of all exports.)</ref><ref>European Coalition on Oil in Sudan 2007, [http://www.ecosonline.org/back/pdf_reports/2007/Oil/ECOS%20factsheetII%20October%202007.pdf 'ECOS Fact Sheet'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913095104/http://www.ecosonline.org/back/pdf_reports/2007/Oil/ECOS%20factsheetII%20October%202007.pdf |date=13 September 2008 }}, ''www.ecosonline.org'', October, p. 1. Retrieved on 6 March 2007. (Estimates that oil accounts for 90% of all exports.)</ref>

Most of Sudan's oil reserves are located in the [[Muglad Basin|Muglad]] and [[Melut Basin|Melut]] [[rift basin]]s in the south of the country.<ref name="Country analysis brief: Sudan">Energy Information Administration 2007, [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Sudan/Full.html 'Country analysis brief: Sudan'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313172226/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Sudan/Full.html |date=13 March 2008 }}, ''www.eia.doe.gov'', April. Retrieved on 6 March 2008.</ref> Oil fields in the south, such as those at [[Heglig]] and in the [[South Sudan]]ese state of [[Unity (state)|Unity]], formerly part of Sudanese territory, are linked to the country's refineries via pipelines. The two largest oil pipelines are the [[Greater Nile Oil Pipeline]], which travels 1,600 kilometres from the Unity oil field to [[Port Sudan]] on the [[Red Sea]] via Khartoum, and the [[PetroDar]] pipeline, which extends 1,380 kilometres from the Palogue oil field in the Melut Basin to Port Sudan.<ref>Anon (no date), [http://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/petrodaroperatingco/ 'Melut Basin Oil Project, Sudan'], ''www.hydrocarbons-technology.com''. Retrieved on 6 March 2008.</ref><ref>European Coalition on Oil in Sudan 2007, [http://www.ecosonline.org/back/pdf_reports/2007/Oil/ECOS%20factsheetII%20October%202007.pdf 'ECOS Fact Sheet'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913095104/http://www.ecosonline.org/back/pdf_reports/2007/Oil/ECOS%20factsheetII%20October%202007.pdf |date=13 September 2008 }}, ''www.ecosonline.org'', October, p. 4. Retrieved on 6 March 2007.</ref>

Crude oil from the Muglad Basin is known as "Nile Blend" and is refined at the [[Sudan Khartoum Refinery Company|Khartoum crude oil refinery]]. In 2006, the [[China National Petroleum Corporation]] upgraded the Khartoum refinery, doubling its capacity to {{convert|100000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}. Oil from the Melud Basin is known as "Dar Blend" and is refined at the [[Port Sudan Refinery]], which has a capacity of {{convert|21700|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}. In 2005, the Sudanese government contracted [[Petronas]] to build a new refinery at Port Sudan.<ref name="Country analysis brief: Sudan" />

===Mining===
{{Main|Mining industry of Sudan}}
The mining industry contributed little to GDP until the discovery of commercially exploitable quantities of petroleum in the late 1970s offered hope that the sector would play an increased role in the economy in the future.<ref name="loc2015">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite encyclopedia |last=DeLancey |first=Virginia |title=Mining |editor-last=Berry |editor1-first=LaVerle |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf |encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study |date=2015 |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] |isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0|edition=5th |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=196–197}}}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.</ref> Nonhydrocarbon minerals of actual or potential commercial value include gold, chrome, copper, iron ore, manganese, asbestos, gypsum, mica, limestone, marble, uranium, silver, lead, talc, tungsten, zinc, and diamonds.<ref name="loc2015" />

== Employment ==
{{See also|Labor unions in Sudan}}
{{multiple issues|section=y|
{{single source|section|date=February 2025}}
{{update|section|date=February 2025}}
}}
The size of [[Sudan|Sudan's]] [[Workforce|labor force]] is difficult to determine because of the various definitions of participation in [[Economics|economic]] activity and the absence of accurate data from official sources.<ref name="loc2015a">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite encyclopedia |last=DeLancey |first=Virginia |title=Labor Force |editor-last=Berry |editor1-first=LaVerle |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf |encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study |date=2015 |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] |isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0|edition=5th |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=164–166}}}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.</ref> In [[rural area]]s, large numbers of women and girls engage in traditional productive occupations, but many probably are not included in calculations of the active workforce.<ref name="loc2015a" />

More than 7.9 million people were employed in Sudan in 1989, according to an [[International Labour Organization|International Labour Organisation]] (ILO) estimate.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In the early 1990s, the employment scene was [[Exacerbation|exacerbated]] by the [[Gulf War|1991 Persian Gulf War]], which resulted in the return home of thousands of Sudanese workers who had been based in [[Kuwait]] and [[Iraq]], leaving many of their possessions behind.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Sudan's support of Iraq was also a factor in the departure of thousands of Sudanese workers from [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="loc2015a" /> By 2000, the total labor force of Sudan had grown to an estimated 12 million, of which the government counted 9.6 million as actively employed.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Approximately 30 percent of the workforce was female.<ref name="loc2015a" />

===Unemployment===
[[Unemployment]] figures were affected by the severe [[drought]] that spread throughout Sudan in the 1980s.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In 1983–84, for example, several million people migrated from the worst-hit areas in both Western and Eastern Sudan to [[Khartoum]] and other urban areas along the [[Nile]].<ref name="loc2015a" /> Many remained in these areas once the drought had eased, living in [[Shanty town|shantytowns]] and contributing to unemployment, [[underemployment]], or employment in the [[Informal economy|informal sector]] in the cities.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In addition, more than 2 million people from the South migrated to the North over the years, as a result of the civil war and famines in these areas.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In 2009 the government estimated unemployment at about 20 percent, perhaps not an accurate figure, because a large proportion of Sudanese engaged in small-scale and [[subsistence agriculture]].<ref name="loc2015a" />

===Labor force by sector===
Agriculture was formerly the predominant activity in Sudan, although its share of the labor force gradually declined as other sectors of economic activity expanded.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In the 1955–56 census, almost 86 percent of those then considered as part of the workforce were involved in agriculture, [[Animal husbandry|livestock raising]], [[forestry]], [[Fishery|fisheries]], or [[hunting]].<ref name="loc2015a" /> The ILO estimated that by 1998, the figure had declined to 70–80 percent.<ref name="loc2015a" /> By 2008 the government claimed that the percentage was significantly lower.<ref name="loc2015a" /> The services sector, which included a government workforce that grew about 10 percent a year in the 1970s, emerged as the second largest area of activity, encompassing an estimated 13–22 percent of those economically active in 1998, compared with 4.6 percent in 1955–56.<ref name="loc2015a" /> The industry sector, including manufacturing, mining, electric power, and construction, accounted for 7–9 percent during 1998, compared to 5.6 percent in 1955–56.<ref name="loc2015a" /> The proportions of the labor force in each of these sectors undoubtedly changed after the estimates were made in 1998, as the relative importance of these sectors altered in the succeeding years.<ref name="loc2015a" /> It was difficult to determine the extent of the changes, however, as despite the oil sector's great importance, it did not directly employ many people.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Its impact on employment occurred as a result of the increased spending allowed to the government, which created new jobs, often in the public sector.<ref name="loc2015a" />

===Child labor===
The minimum working age in the early 2000s was 18 in theory; however, the law was not enforced, and some 27 percent of Sudanese children aged 10 to 14 were estimated to be in the labor force.<ref name="loc2015a" /> For example, children as young as 11 or 12 years of age worked in a number of factories outside the capital that produced [[Cooking oil|edible oils]].<ref name="loc2015a" /> Child labor was widespread in the informal economy, and children traditionally worked on the [[family farm]] from a young age.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Sudan did not adhere to ILO Convention no. 182, the Worst Forms of [[Child labour|Child Labor]].<ref name="loc2015a" /> The Child Act of 2010, among other laws, governed hours and working conditions of young people, but the law was not effectively enforced, particularly in the informal sector, where enforcement was especially difficult.<ref name="loc2015a" />

===Forced labor===
{{Main|Slavery in Sudan}}
The 1998 constitution prohibited forced and bonded labor, although it did not specifically prohibit [[Human trafficking|trafficking]] in persons.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Nevertheless, there were credible reports that [[slavery]] persisted, particularly affecting women and children, and that the seizure and sale of women as domestic servants continued.<ref name="loc2015a" /> All sides in the Sudanese conflict also conscripted men and boys forcibly into their fighting forces.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In May 1998, the government formed the Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children, which resulted in the identification and release of several hundred abductees, but the government did not police the laws on forced and bonded labor effectively.<ref name="loc2015a" /> In November 2001, the government announced the establishment of special civilian tribunals in the border regions separating the South and the North of the country to prosecute persons involved in the abduction, transport, holding, and selling or exchanging of women and children from war zones.<ref name="loc2015a" /> Even so, as late as 2010, the Committee surmised that possibly 10,000 or more abductees from groups such as the Misiriyyah and Rizayqat as well as South Sudanese were engaged in some form of forced labor in the border regions.<ref name="loc2015a" />

== Infrastructure ==
[[File:Transportation in Al-Ubayyid.jpg|thumb|Highway in [[El-Obeid]]]]

===Transport===
{{Main|Transport in Sudan}}
[[File:PortSudan Post Office.jpg|thumb|The post office in Port Sudan.]]
Two trans-African automobile routes pass through Sudan: the [[Cairo-Cape Town Highway]] from north to south and the [[N'Djamena-Djibouti Highway]] from west to east.

[[Sudan]] has 4,725 kilometers of [[narrow-gauge]], single-track [[railroad]]s that serve the northern and central portions of the country. The main line runs from [[Wadi Halfa]] on the [[Egypt]]ian border to [[Khartoum]] and southwest to [[Al-Ubayyid|Al Ubayyid]] via [[Sannar]] and [[Kosti, Sudan|Kusti]], with extensions to [[Nyala, Sudan|Nyala]] in [[Southern Darfur]] and [[Wau, Sudan|Wau]] in [[Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan)|Bahr al Ghazal]].

Other lines connect [[Atbarah]] and [[Sannar]] with [[Port Sudan]], and Sannar with [[Ad Damazin]]. A 1,400-kilometer line serves the [[Al Jazirah (state)|al Gezira]] [[cotton]]-growing region. A modest effort to upgrade rail transport is currently underway to reverse decades of neglect and declining efficiency. Service on some lines may be interrupted during the rainy season.

===Energy===
{{main|Energy in Sudan}}
The chief sources of energy in 2010 were wood and charcoal, hydroelectric power, and oil.<ref name="loc20152">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite encyclopedia |last=DeLancey |first=Virginia |title=Energy |editor-last=Berry |editor1-first=LaVerle |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf |encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study |date=2015 |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] |isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0 |edition=5th |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=192–196}}}} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.</ref>

Sudan is seeking to expand its installed capacity of [[electricity generation]] of around 300 MW;of which 180 MW is [[hydroelectric]] and the rest thermal. [[Europe]]an investors, considering the continuing [[United States|U.S.]] economic, trade, and financial sanctions regime, are the most likely providers of technology for this purpose.

More than 70% of Sudan's hydropower comes from the [[Roseires Dam]] on the [[Blue Nile]] grid. Various projects are proposed to expand hydro-power, thermal generation, and other sources of energy, but so far the government has had difficulty arranging sufficient financing. A new dam which is being established in [[Merowe, Sudan|Merowe]] which has been opened in 2008 and generates 125 MW of electricity.

== Currency and banking ==
{{Main|Sudanese pound|Inflation in Sudan|Banking in Sudan}}
{{Empty section|date=March 2020}}

== Trade, sanctions, and foreign aid ==
{{Main|Foreign trade of Sudan|Foreign aid to Sudan}}
{{See also|Foreign relations of Sudan}}
On 3 November 1997, the [[U.S. government]] imposed a [[trade embargo]] against Sudan and a total asset freeze against the Government of Sudan under [[Executive order (United States)|Executive Order]] 13067. The U.S. believed the Government of Sudan gave support to international terrorism, destabilized neighboring governments, and permitted human rights violations.<ref>US Department of the Treasury (no date), [http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/sudan/sudan.shtml 'Sudan sanctions'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425142058/http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/sudan/sudan.shtml|date=25 April 2006}}, ''www.treas.gov''.</ref> A consequence of the embargo is that U.S. corporations cannot invest in the Sudan oil industry, so companies in [[China]], [[Malaysia]] and [[India]] are the major investors.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Andrews|first1=Jackie|last2=Chmaytelli|first2=Maher|date=23 April 2006|title=Bin Laden Accuses West of Seeking to Steal Sudan Oil (Update3)|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aMLLjle4kbM8|access-date=20 September 2011|work=Bloomberg}}</ref>

Historically, the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Kuwait]], and other [[Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) nations traditionally have supplied most of Sudan's economic assistance. Sudan's role as an economic link between Arab and African countries is reflected by the presence in Khartoum of the [[Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa|Arab Bank for African development]]. The [[World Bank]] had been the largest source of development loans.

== Macro-economic trend ==
{{see also|Inflation in Sudan}}
The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=IMF |language=en}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
! style="font-weight:bold;" | Year
! GDP<br />(in bn. US$ PPP)
! GDP per capita<br />(in US$ PPP)
!GDP<br />(in bn. US$ nominal)
! GDP growth<br />(real)
! Inflation, CPI<br />
! Government debt<br />(Percentage of GDP)
|-
|1980
|20.6
|1,103
|9.1
|2.5%
|26.5%
|...
|-
|1985
|27.2
|1,241
|5.5
| −0.6%
|45.6%
|...
|-
|1990
|39.6
|1,538
|2.2
|0.8%
| −0.9%
|...
|-
|1995
|58.5
|2,092
|6.7
|8.9%
|68.4%
|239%
|-
|2000
|86.9
|2,794
|13.1
|8.4%
|7.1%
|143%
|-
|2005
|135.1
|3,828
|35.2
|5.6%
|8.5%
|75%
|-
|2006
|148.4
|4,098
|45.3
|6.5%
|7.2%
|64%
|-
|2007
|161.2
|4,337
|59.4
|5.7%
|14.8%
|54%
|-
|2008
|170.6
|4,475
|64.8
|3.8%
|14.3%
|56%
|-
|2009
|166.9
|4,267
|54.8
| −2.8%
|11.3%
|71%
|-
|2010
|175.4
|4,371
|65.7
|3.9%
|13.0%
|75%
|-
|2011
|173.3
|5,306
|66.4
| −3.2%
|18.1%
|78%
|-
|2012
|146.5
|4,180
|48.9
| −17.0%
|35.6%
|118%
|-
|2013
|151.9
|4,201
|52.9
|2.0%
|36.5%
|106%
|-
|2014
|161.8
|4,338
|60.7
|4.7%
|36.9%
|84%
|-
|2015
|171.3
|4,456
|64.5
|4.9%
|16.9%
|93%
|-
|2016
|181.0
|4,572
|64.9
|4.7%
|17.8%
|110%
|-
|2017
|185.7
|4,553
|48.9
|0.8%
|32.4%
|150%
|-
|2018
|192.3
|4,580
|33.6
| −2.3%
|63.3%
|210%
|-
|2019
|183.6
|4,248
|31.5
| −2.5%
|51.0%
|217%
|-
|2020
|197.6
|4,455
|35.2
| −3.6%
|163.3%
|278%
|-
|2021
|171.1
|3,761
|35.1
|0.5%
|359.1%
|190%
|-
|2022
|178.7
|3,829
|33.5
| −2.5%
|138.8%
|187%
|-
|2023
|151.3
|3,158
|38.1
| −18.3%
|77.2%
|252%
|-
|2024
|123.5
|2,513
|29.8
| −20.3%
|200.1%
|344%
|}

==See also==
* [[List of companies based in Sudan]]
* [[Foreign trade of Sudan]]
* [[Tourism in Sudan]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Portal bar|Africa}}
{{Sudan topics}}
{{Africa topic|Economy of}}

[[Category:Economy of Sudan| ]]
[[Category:Economies of developing countries]]
[[Category:Economy of the Arab League]]
[[Category:African Union member economies|Sudan]]