South Sudan: Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 442.98% from −US$28.92 million in 2018. Since 2014 it is up 69.88% from −US$521.31 million in 2014.

What the numbers say

In 2023, South Sudan's reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$131.73 million on 2022 (from −US$25.28 million to −US$157.01 million).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +US$62 million and a typical year strayed about US$2.73 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$5.78 billion in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was US$3.84 billion in 2022. 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 3% 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 9th highest value of the 11 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

• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 6th of 11: −US$15.65 million
• Guyana — 7th of 11: −US$35.96 million
• Aruba — 8th of 11: −US$145.5 million
• Benin — 10th of 11: −US$1.22 billion
• Lebanon — 11th of 11: −US$2.04 billion

What this measures

Reserves and related items is the net change in a country's holdings of international reserves resulting from transactions on the current, capital, and financial accounts. Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency.Also included are net credit and loans from the IMF (excluding reserve position) and total exceptional financing. 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.

All 10 values

Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — −US$937.09 million (2025)
• Benin — −US$1.22 billion (2023)
• Botswana — −US$305.79 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$585.19 million (2024)
• Burundi — US$21.67 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$369.03 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$482.23 million (2024)
• Comoros — −US$7.66 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$839.97 million (2025)
• Congo, Rep.

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is South Sudan's reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)?

−US$157.01 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2014?

It is up 69.88% from −US$521.31 million in 2014. The highest value was US$3.81 billion in 2021 and the lowest −US$2.02 billion in 2019.

How does South Sudan rank?

9th highest of 11 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) unusual for South Sudan?

In 2023, South Sudan's reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$131.73 million on 2022 (from −US$25.28 million to −US$157.01 million). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +US$62 million and a typical year strayed about US$2.73 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.RES.INCL.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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