River Nile: population, prices, banks, health, water, schooling and living standards
River Nile is a state of Sudan, number 12 of 18 by population. The Central Bureau of Statistics estimates the population of River Nile State at 1,781,075 for 2024 (903,949 men and boys, 877,126 women and girls), 3.6% of Sudan's 49.47 million; 7th smallest of the 18 states. The estimate is projected from the 2008 census, the last one held, and does not reflect the millions of people displaced by the war since April 2023.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in River Nile: Consumer prices in River Nile State were on average 325.8% higher in 2024 than a year earlier, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 2nd highest of 17 states with a consistently published average (Sudan: 176.9%); in 2023 the average was 69.9% (Sudan: 66.6%). In December 2024 the annual rate was 385.5% (Sudan: 187.8%).
- Health in River Nile: For every 1,000 babies born in River Nile in the five years before the 2014 survey, 28 died before their first birthday and 35 before their fifth; the under-five rate is 2nd lowest of the 18 states (Sudan: 52 and 68).
- Education in River Nile: 91.1% of children of primary-school age in River Nile were attending school in 2014, and 8.8% were out of school; 3rd highest of the 18 states for attendance (Sudan: 76.4% and 21.6%).
- Poverty and living standards in River Nile: 3.6% of people in River Nile lived in households in Sudan's poorest fifth by household assets and housing in 2014, and 45.8% in the richest fifth; 7th smallest share of the 18 states in the poorest fifth (Sudan: 20% in each fifth, by definition).
How many children do women in River Nile have?
Women in River Nile had 3.6 children each on average in the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) by the Central Bureau of Statistics, taken long before the war that began in 2023, 2nd lowest of the 18 states (Sudan: 5.2); girls aged 15 to 19 had 49 births per 1,000 a year (Sudan: 87).
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Sudan (with UNICEF Sudan) · saved copyHow states are governed in Sudan
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.
Every tier of government in Sudan
Other states of Sudan
- Khartoum 9,420,017
- Gezira 6,006,213
- South Darfur 4,393,480
- Kassala 2,968,490
- North Kordofan 2,948,001
- White Nile 2,938,783
- North Darfur 2,716,151
- Gedaref 2,602,356
- Sennar 2,260,981
- East Darfur 1,914,546
- West Kordofan 1,856,898
- Red Sea 1,746,458
- South Kordofan 1,418,975
- Blue Nile 1,306,118
- West Darfur 1,202,286
- Northern 1,103,567
- Central Darfur 890,461
Up a level: Sudan · government and power in Sudan
Sources
- 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…)
- 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…)
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