South Sudan: Total reserves in months of imports

Key figures

Over five years it is up 59.61% from 0.11 in 2018 (9.8% a year on average, compounded). Since 2014 it is down 81.62% from 0.95 in 2014 (17.16% a year on average, compounded).

What the numbers say

In 2023, South Sudan's total reserves in months of imports rose 8.4% on 2022 (from 0.16 to 0.17).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +80.1% and a typical year strayed about 314% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 845.8% in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 81.8% 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 12% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to South Sudan in the 2023 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6th of 9: 1.69
• Guyana — 7th of 9: 0.85
• Burundi — 8th of 9: 0.73

What this measures

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. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 10 values

Total reserves in months of imports in nearby economies

• Angola — 5.29 (2025)
• Botswana — 4.71 (2024)
• Burundi — 0.73 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 8.69 (2025)
• Cameroon — 5.28 (2024)
• Comoros — 7.61 (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1.69 (2023)
• Congo, Rep. — 1.6 (2021)
• Eswatini — 1.91 (2024)
• Ethiopia — 1.78 (2024)
• Gabon

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)

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Questions people ask

What is South Sudan's total reserves in months of imports?

0.17 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2014?

It is down 81.62% from 0.95 in 2014 (17.16% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.04 in 2019 and the lowest 0.11 in 2018.

Is the latest change in total reserves in months of imports unusual for South Sudan?

In 2023, South Sudan's total reserves in months of imports rose 8.4% on 2022 (from 0.16 to 0.17). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +80.1% and a typical year strayed about 314% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.MO, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, 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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