Digital 2026: South Sudan
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This page contains all the data, insights, and trends you need to help you understand how people in South Sudan use digital devices, online platforms, and connected services in 2026.
If you want to know whether this is our most recent report on South Sudan, or if you’re looking for data on digital trends and behaviours in South Sudan for other years, you can find DataReportal’s full collection of (free!) reports on South Sudan by clicking here.
You’ll also find the complete Digital 2026 report for South Sudan in the “full report” section towards the bottom of this page, but we’ll start this article by taking a look at the essential headline numbers for South Sudan this year.
Just before that, you might like to know that this year’s report is brought to you with the support of Kepios.
A note on dates
To align our reporting more closely with our readers’ digital planning cycles, please be aware that we published our Digital 2026 reports at the end of 2025.
As a result, many of the data points we’ll reference in this article are from late 2025.
For reassurance, these data points reflect the latest available data in October 2025, so they’re still highly representative of digital adoption and evolving preferences and behaviours in South Sudan in 2026.
However, because we’ve changed our publication cycle since our Digital 2025 reports, please pay close attention to the dates and time periods stated in this article and in our accompanying Digital 2026 reports, and avoid calculating values for change over time by referencing data published in our previous reports and articles.
We’ve included a wealth of figures for change over time within this article, and you’ll find even more within the full report at the bottom of this page.
OK, ready to start exploring the data?
The “state of digital” in South Sudan in 2026
Here are DataReportal’s essential headlines for the adoption and use of connected devices and services in South Sudan in 2026:
A total of 5.89 million cellular mobile connections were active in South Sudan in late 2025, with this figure equivalent to 48.1 percent of the total population. However, note that some of these connections may only include services such as voice and SMS, and some may not include access to the internet.
There were 1.61 million individuals using the internet in South Sudan at the end of 2025, when online penetration stood at 13.2 percent.
South Sudan was home to 997 thousand social media user identities in October 2025, equating to 8.1 percent of the total population.
These headline stats offer a great overview of the “state of digital” in South Sudan for 2026, but in order to make sense of how digital trends and behaviours have been evolving, we need to dig deeper into the data.
So, let’s take a closer look at what the numbers tell us, starting with some valuable context relating to the population of South Sudan.
Population of South Sudan in 2026
Data from the United Nations indicates that the population of South Sudan stood at 12.2 million in October 2025.
The same dataset also shows that South Sudan’s population increased by 245 thousand (+2.0 percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, in late 2025, 22.0 percent of South Sudan’s population lived in urban centres, whereas 78.0 percent lived in rural areas.
At that time, 50.8 percent of South Sudan’s population was female, while 49.2 percent of the population was male.
Note: gender data were only available for “female” and “male” at the time of report production.
South Sudan’s population by age
At the end of 2025, the median age of South Sudan’s population was 18.7, with half of South Sudan’s population above this age, and the other half of the population below it.
For added context, here’s how South Sudan’s total population broke down by age group at the end of the year, according to the United Nations’ data:
12.9 percent was between the ages of 0 and 4.
19.5 percent was between the ages of 5 and 12.
13.4 percent was between the ages of 13 and 17.
15.5 percent was between the ages of 18 and 24.
12.2 percent was between the ages of 25 and 34.
9.6 percent was between the ages of 35 and 44.
8.9 percent was between the ages of 45 and 54.
4.9 percent was between the ages of 55 and 64.
3.1 percent was aged 65 and above.
Note: percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.
Mobile connections in South Sudan in 2026
Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 5.89 million cellular mobile connections in South Sudan at the end of 2025.
For perspective, many people make use of more than one mobile connection, so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.
For example, the same person might have one mobile connection for personal use, but also use a separate mobile connection for work activities. The rise of eSIMs has made this even easier over recent years.
However, this practice hasn’t yet pushed mobile connectivity rates in South Sudan beyond 100 percent, and GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in South Sudan were equivalent to 48.1 percent of the total population in October 2025.
Looking at trends over time, the number of mobile connections in South Sudan increased by 868 thousand (+17.3 percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, GSMA Intelligence’s data suggests that 86.6 percent of mobile connections in South Sudan can now be considered “broadband”, which means that they connect via 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile networks.
However, devices that connect to “broadband” mobile networks do not necessarily use cellular mobile data — for example, some subscription plans may only include access to voice and SMS services — so this broadband figure should not be considered a proxy for mobile internet use.
Internet use in South Sudan in 2026
At the time of report production, Kepios’s analysis of the latest available data indicated that there were 1.61 million internet users in South Sudan in October 2025.
This means that South Sudan’s internet penetration rate stood at 13.2 percent of the total population at the end of the year.
For reference, our internet user figures are informed by data from numerous reputable sources, including:
The ITU (the International Telecommunication Union), which is the United Nations’ specialised agency for digital technologies that “facilitates international connectivity in communication networks”.
GSMA Intelligence, which is the market intelligence arm of the GSMA, a global organisation that ”unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop, and deliver innovation”.
Eurostat, which is the statistical office of the European Union.
National telecommunications authorities, government regulators, and national statistics offices.
Planning tools provided by various large internet companies, including Google and Meta.
Kepios’s analysis of this data indicates that the number of internet users in South Sudan increased by 113 thousand (+7.5 percent) between October 2024 and October 2025.
And for added perspective, South Sudan’s internet adoption rate (i.e. the percentage of the total population that uses the internet) increased by a relative 5.4 percent (+67 basis points) during the same period.
But these user figures also suggest that 10.6 million people in South Sudan did not use the internet at the end of 2025, suggesting that 86.8 percent of the population remained “offline” at the end of the year.
However, complexities associated with the collection and analysis of internet user data mean that it can often take several months before research is ready for publication.
As a result, the latest published figures for internet use may under-represent current realities, and actual rates for internet adoption and year-on-year growth may be higher than the figures shown here suggest.
Please see our comprehensive notes on data for further details.
Social media statistics for South Sudan in 2026
Proprietary analysis conducted by Kepios on behalf of DataReportal indicates that there were 997 thousand active social media user identities in South Sudan in October 2025.
For perspective, this figure was equivalent to 8.1 percent of South Sudan’s total population at the end of 2025.
However, while Kepios’s methodology strives to “de-duplicate” social media users across different social platforms — and, wherever possible, to remove accounts that do not represent individual human users — it’s important to stress that our social media user identities figures may not represent unique individuals (see our detailed notes on data to learn why).
Moreover, due to complexities associated with de-duplicating users across different social platforms, the methodology that we use to calculate social media user identities may sometimes only factor users of the social media platform that has the largest active audience in the respective country at the time of report production.
As a result, the figures that we publish for a country’s overall social media use may sometimes look very similar to the statistics that we publish for the most popular social media platform in that country.
Separately, please also note that the signals and sources that we rely on to inform these social media figures make regular changes and corrections to their data.
Consequently, the values for social media use shown here might appear to be quite different to the numbers that we published in previous years.
Because of this, we advise significant caution when comparing the values for social media user identities published in this year’s reports with those published in previous years, especially because changes in our reported values may be the result of “corrections” in the source data, and not all trends will be the result of changes in actual user behaviour.
This is particularly pertinent when it comes to trends in social media use over time, and we recommend that readers use the change figures published below, rather than trying to re-calculate growth figures using data published in our previous reports.
And on that note, Kepios’s analysis shows that social media user identities in South Sudan increased by 233 thousand (+30.5 percent) between late 2024 and the end of 2025.
Turning our attention to user demographics, data published in the ad planning tools of top social media platforms indicates that there were 944 thousand user identities aged 18 and above using social media in South Sudan at the end of 2025, which was equivalent to 14.2 percent of the total population aged 18 and above.
At that time, 28.6 percent of South Sudan’s social media user identities were female, while 71.4 percent were male.
And for added context, it may be helpful to know that 61.8 percent of South Sudan’s total internet user base (regardless of age) used at least one social media platform in October 2025.
Note: due to source data limitations, we’re only able to report gender data for “female” and “male”.
Facebook users in South Sudan in 2026
Data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicate that Facebook had 997 thousand users in South Sudan in late 2025.
However, Meta has made important changes to the way its advertising resources report audience reach data over recent months — including making meaningful revisions to published audience data — so the figures shown here may not be directly comparable with figures published in our previous reports.
To learn more about these changes, please see our extensive notes on data.
Facebook user growth in South Sudan
Figures published in Meta’s own tools indicate that Facebook’s potential ad reach in South Sudan increased by 233 thousand (+30.5 percent) between October 2024 and October 2025.
For more recent context, the same data show that the number of users that marketers could reach with ads on Facebook in South Sudan increased by 64.1 thousand (+6.9 percent) in the three months between July 2025 and October 2025.
However, it’s important to stress that Meta’s advertising reach figures are not the same as the active user figures that the company may report in its investor earnings announcements, and they should not be interpreted as such.
As Meta states in a note published in its ad planning tools,
“Estimated audience size is not a proxy for monthly or daily active users, or for engagement. Estimates aren’t designed to match population, census estimates or other sources, and may differ depending on factors such as how many accounts across Meta technologies a person has, how many temporary visitors are in a particular geographic location at a given time, and Meta user-reported demographics.”
As a result, changes in ad reach may not necessarily indicate any change in the overall user bases of Meta’s platforms.
But despite these caveats, Meta’s ad reach data still offers valuable insights into how Facebook use is evolving, so let’s take a closer look.
Facebook adoption in South Sudan
Facebook’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 8.1 percent of the total population at the end of 2025.
Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Facebook though, and it’s worth highlighting that 12.0 percent of the “eligible” audience in South Sudan used Facebook at the time of writing.
Furthermore, it may be useful to know that the company’s data indicates that 14.2 percent of adults aged 18 and above in South Sudan used Facebook at the end of 2025.
And for additional context, Facebook’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 62.0 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) in October 2025.
At the end of 2025, 28.6 percent of Facebook’s adult ad audience in South Sudan was female, while 71.4 percent was male.
Note: at the time of report production, Meta’s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for “female” and “male” users. However, the published figures for “female” and “male” users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.
▶ Looking for more Facebook stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Facebook data for every country in the world.
Instagram users in South Sudan in 2026
Numbers published in Meta’s advertising tools indicate that Instagram had 68.0 thousand users in South Sudan in late 2025.
The company’s regularly revised figures suggest that Instagram’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 0.6 percent of the total population at the end of the year.
However, Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Instagram, so it’s also worth highlighting that 0.8 percent of the “eligible” audience in South Sudan used Instagram at the time of report production.
Meanwhile, data published in the company’s ad tools indicate that 1.0 percent of adults aged 18 and above in South Sudan used Instagram at the end of 2025.
Similarly, it may be helpful to know that Instagram’s ad reach in South Sudan at the end of 2025 was equivalent to 4.2 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).
In late 2025, 24.0 percent of Instagram’s adult ad audience in South Sudan was female, while 76.0 percent was male.
Note: at the time of report production, Meta’s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for “female” and “male” users. However, the published figures for “female” and “male” users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.
Instagram user growth in South Sudan
Data published in Meta’s planning tools show that Instagram’s potential ad reach in South Sudan increased by 10.7 thousand (+18.6 percent) between October 2024 and October 2025.
On a quarterly basis, the company’s data also reveal that the size of Instagram’s ad audience in South Sudan increased by 4,350 (+6.8 percent) between July 2025 and October 2025.
As we noted in the Facebook section above though, changes in the audience reach figures published in Meta’s ad planning tools do not necessarily correlate with overall changes in its platforms’ active user bases.
▶ Looking for more Instagram stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Instagram data for every country in the world.
TikTok users in South Sudan in 2026
Figures published in TikTok’s advertising resources indicate that TikTok had 562 thousand users aged 18 and above in South Sudan in late 2025.
Note that TikTok allows marketers to target TikTok ads to users aged 13 and above via its advertising tools, but these tools only show audience data for users aged 18 and above.
And for context, TikTok’s figures indicate that TikTok ads reached 8.5 percent of all adults aged 18 and above in South Sudan at the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 34.9 percent of the local internet user base at the end of the year, regardless of age.
In late 2025, 27.2 percent of TikTok’s adult ad audience in South Sudan was female, whereas 72.8 percent was male.
Note: at the time of report production, TikTok’s advertising resources only published audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
TikTok user growth in South Sudan
Data published in TikTok’s own ad planning tools show that TikTok’s potential ad reach in South Sudan increased by 117 thousand (+26.3 percent) between the end of 2024 and late 2025.
Meanwhile, figures indicate that the potential reach of ads on TikTok in South Sudan increased by 6,500 (+1.2 percent) between July 2025 and October 2025.
Having said that, ad audiences often only account for a subset of a platform’s total users, and given that TikTok’s ad tools only publish data for users aged 18 and above, it’s important to remember that trends in TikTok’s ad reach figures may not necessarily match changes in the platform’s overall user base.
▶ Looking for more TikTok stats? Click here to explore our in-depth TikTok data for every available country.
LinkedIn users in South Sudan in 2026
Figures published in LinkedIn’s advertising resources indicate that LinkedIn had 130 thousand “members” in South Sudan in late 2025.
Note that LinkedIn’s advertising tools publish audience reach data based on total registered members, rather than the monthly active users that form the basis of the ad reach figures published by most other social media platforms.
As a result, these LinkedIn figures are not directly comparable with the figures for other social media platforms published on this page, or those shown in our Digital 2026 reports.
But caveats aside, the company’s own advertising reach figures suggest that LinkedIn’s audience in South Sudan was equivalent to 1.1 percent of the total population at the end of 2025.
LinkedIn’s advertising tools only publish data for users aged 18 and above though, so it may be more representative to state that LinkedIn’s ads reached 2.0 percent of South Sudan’s population aged 18 and above in late 2025.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 8.1 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the end of the year.
In late 2025, 24.4 percent of LinkedIn’s ad audience in South Sudan was female, while 75.6 percent was male.
Note: at the time of report production, LinkedIn’s advertising resources only published audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
LinkedIn user growth in South Sudan
Data published in LinkedIn’s planning tools show that LinkedIn’s potential ad reach in South Sudan increased by 30.0 thousand (+30.0 percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.
On a quarterly basis, the company’s data reveal that the size of LinkedIn’s ad audience in South Sudan increased by 10.0 thousand (+8.3 percent) between July 2025 and October 2025.
However, because LinkedIn’s ad audience figures are based on total registered members rather than monthly active users, it’s unclear whether these trends might reflect changes in active LinkedIn use too.
▶ Looking for more LinkedIn stats? Click here to explore our in-depth LinkedIn data for countries all over the world.
Messenger users in South Sudan in 2026
Data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicate that ads on Messenger reached 375 thousand users in South Sudan in late 2025.
The company’s frequently adjusted audience numbers suggest that Messenger’s ad reach in South Sudan was equivalent to 3.1 percent of the total population at the end of the year.
Meta only allows people aged 13 and above to use Messenger though, so it’s worth highlighting that 4.5 percent of the “eligible” audience in South Sudan used Messenger at the time of writing.
Moreover, data published in the company’s ad tools indicate that 5.6 percent of adults aged 18 and above in South Sudan used Messenger at the end of 2025.
And for additional context, Messenger’s ad reach in South Sudan at that time was equivalent to 23.3 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).
At the end of 2025, 25.4 percent of Messenger’s ad audience in South Sudan was female, while 74.6 percent was male.
Note: at the time of report production, Meta’s advertising tools only showed audience gender data for “female” and “male” users. However, the published figures for “female” and “male” users do not always sum to the published total figure, so the gender share values shown here may not sum to 100 percent.
Messenger user growth in South Sudan
Data published in Meta’s planning tools show that Messenger’s potential ad reach in South Sudan increased by 78.0 thousand (+26.3 percent) between October 2024 and October 2025.
And on a quarterly basis, the company’s data reveal that the size of Messenger’s ad audience in South Sudan increased by 44.6 thousand (+13.5 percent) between July 2025 and October 2025.
However, as we noted in the Facebook section above, changes in the audience reach figures published in Meta’s ad planning tools do not necessarily correlate with overall changes in its platforms’ active user bases.
▶ Looking for more Messenger stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Messenger data for every country in the world.
Additional resources
Just before we get to the full report, here are some suggestions for further reading, which will provide additional context for our full set of Digital 2026 numbers for South Sudan:
Read our complete Digital 2026 Global Overview Report to get a comprehensive overview of the “state of digital” around the world in 2026.
Click here to see all of the Global Digital Reports we’ve published for South Sudan over the years.
Explore all of our reports on countries in the Eastern Africa region by clicking here.
Find all of the reports in the Digital 2026 series via this handy index page.
Visit our complete online library to see all of the (free!) reports in the Global Digital Reports series.
If you’d like to receive updates when we publish new reports, click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Full report
You’ll find our complete Digital 2026: South Sudan report in the embed below (click here if you can’t see that, or if you can’t move through the slides).