People

Population: 33 550 552 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45% (male 7 769 266; female 7 449 510)

15-64 years: 52% (male 8 818 018; female 8 778 485)

65 years and over: 3% (male 410 170; female 325 103) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.73% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 39.94 births/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 10.88 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.73 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.26 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 72.64 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 55.97 years

male: 55 years

female: 56.98 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.68 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Sudanese

Ethnic groups: black 52% Arab 39% Beja 6% foreigners 2% other 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north) indigenous beliefs 25% Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Languages: Arabic (official) Nubian Ta Bedawie diverse dialects of Nilotic Nilo-Hamitic Sudanic languages English

note: program of Arabization in process

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 46.1%

male: 57.7%

female: 34.6% (1995 est.)