States of Sudan: population and official figures
Sudan is divided into 18 states. The largest by population is Khartoum with 9,420,017 people (19.0% of the total); the smallest is Central Darfur with 890,461. Population figures are Central Bureau of Statistics estimates for 2024, projected from the 2008 census; they do not reflect the millions of people displaced by the war that began in April 2023. Sudan now has 18 states: Central Darfur and East Darfur (2012) and West Kordofan (re-established in 2013) have their own pages, so the West Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan pages cover smaller areas than before. Inflation (2024, from the Central Bureau of Statistics) and bank branches are published by the Central Bank of Sudan; health, water, schooling and living-standard figures come from the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the latest state-level survey published in full, taken before the war.
Who governs Sudan's states?
States (18): Governors appointed (under the 2019 Constitutional Charter, by the transitional authorities; since the war by the army-led Sovereignty Council in areas it controls, while the RSF-led authority names its own). Security, administration and services within the state; capacity badly damaged by war.
How local power works in Sudan · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 18 states, largest first
| # | State | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khartoum | 9,420,017 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 2 | Gezira | 6,006,213 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 3 | South Darfur | 4,393,480 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 4 | Kassala | 2,968,490 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 5 | North Kordofan | 2,948,001 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 6 | White Nile | 2,938,783 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 7 | North Darfur | 2,716,151 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 8 | Gedaref | 2,602,356 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 9 | Sennar | 2,260,981 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 10 | East Darfur | 1,914,546 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 11 | West Kordofan | 1,856,898 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 12 | River Nile | 1,781,075 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 13 | Red Sea | 1,746,458 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 14 | South Kordofan | 1,418,975 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 15 | Blue Nile | 1,306,118 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 16 | West Darfur | 1,202,286 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 17 | Northern | 1,103,567 | 2024 | +2.6% |
| 18 | Central Darfur | 890,461 | 2024 | +2.6% |
More on Sudan: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Central Bank of Sudan (population and prices from the Central Bureau of Statistics): Annual Report 2024 (64th): population by state 2024 (Table 6-12, CBS estimates), average inflation by state (Table 6-8), bank branches by state (Table 5-3, Appendix 8), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3092b0e22b0e…)
- Central Bank of Sudan (population from the Central Bureau of Statistics): Developments of the Sudanese Economy 2023: population by state 2023 (Table 3-12, CBS estimates), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5d959f6d3d4d…)
- Central Bureau of Statistics, Sudan (with UNICEF Sudan): Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 of Sudan, Final Report (state tables HH.6, HH.8, CM.2, NU.2, CH.2, WS.7, RH.2, RH.10, RH.11, CD.1, ED.1, ED.4, ED.5, CP.4, CP.7, CP.13, HFS.1), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9400cecaceed…)
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