South Sudan: Current account balance (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 283.14% from −US$315.55 million in 2018. Since 2014 it is up 173.13% from −US$790.19 million in 2014.

What the numbers say

In 2023, South Sudan's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$1.17 billion on 2022 (from −US$596.75 million to US$577.9 million).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +US$24.18 million and a typical year strayed about US$954.4 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$1.71 billion in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was US$1.52 billion in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, South Sudan had the 3rd highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Sudan in the 2023 ranking

• Guyana — 1st of 12: US$2.35 billion
• Libya — 2nd of 12: US$1.86 billion
• Aruba — 4th of 12: US$194.5 million
• Tuvalu — 5th of 12: US$20.21 million
• Comoros — 6th of 12: −US$24.62 million

What this measures

Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 10 values

Current account balance (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$417.99 million (2025)
• Benin — −US$1.61 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$583.38 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — −US$918.24 million (2024)
• Burundi — −US$461.46 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$108.71 million (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$1.75 billion (2024)
• Comoros — −US$24.62 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — −US$3.94 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$1.72 billion (2021)

More economic policy & debt data for South Sudan

• Adjusted savings, education expenditure (% of GNI) — 1.76% (2021)
• Adjusted savings, mineral depletion (current US$) — US$7.23 million (2021)
• Adjusted savings, carbon dioxide damage (current US$) — US$80.65 million (2021)
• Adjusted savings, energy depletion (current US$) — US$993.1 million (2021)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$73 million (2025)
• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$1.62 billion (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$116.09 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Australia (current US$) — US$2.12 million (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Sudan's current account balance (current US$, BoP)?

US$577.9 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2014?

It is up 173.13% from −US$790.19 million in 2014. The highest value was US$577.9 million in 2023 and the lowest −US$1.72 billion in 2020.

How does South Sudan rank?

3rd highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in current account balance (current US$, BoP) unusual for South Sudan?

In 2023, South Sudan's current account balance (current US$, BoP) rose US$1.17 billion on 2022 (from −US$596.75 million to US$577.9 million). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +US$24.18 million and a typical year strayed about US$954.4 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.CAB.XOKA.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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