[Juba, South Sudan, TCT] In a soon to be publish report, the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, which is preparing to launch the 2015 State of the World Population report, revealed that the population of South Sudan is estimated just to be over 11 million people instead of the 8 million according to Sudan census conducted in before independent of South Sudan.
Speaking to media in Juba, Ibrahim Sambuli, the UNFPA Deputy Representative in South Sudan said that the report also indicates that more than half of the population is men, in contrast to other countries where the percentage of women is higher than men.
While sharing more highlights from the report, Sambuli said,
“It is estimated that the population of South Sudan could be about 11.6 million, we have close to 52% being men and 48% being women. Those who are below the age of 18 are 51% and life expectancy, a male is likely on average to survive for 53 years and women for 55 years,.”
The National Bureau of Statistics, a key institution in population planning in South Sudan, told TCT that the projection would help the nation to plan better in the future.
Mr. Isaiah Chol, the Chairperson of the Statistics Bureau said,
“There is nothing you can do without statistics. You need to plan, make informed decision and formulate policies using statistics. In all aspects, whether it is social or economic statistic is the key, so this population projection in South Sudan should be used for effective planning and development implementations,” he stressed.
However, the population estimate by UNFPA may be contested due to various factors including the impact of the 2013 conflict.
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