If you lived in Sudan instead of Bhutan, you would:

Health

be 35.5% less likely to die by suicide

Bhutan has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sudan, it is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.7 years less

In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 36.1% more likely to be obese

In Bhutan, 13.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 17.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 95.8% less spent on your healthcare

Bhutan spends $677 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sudan spends $28 as of 2023.

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have 26.7% less access to essential health services

Bhutan scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sudan scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Bhutan, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sudan, that number is 11.4% as of 2023.

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make 74.1% less money

Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $4,493 as of 2025, while in Sudan, the GDP per capita is $1,165 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.6 times more children

In Bhutan, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sudan, there are 33.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 5.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Bhutan, approximately 47.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sudan, 256.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Bhutan, approximately 13.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sudan, on the other hand, 42.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 34.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 66% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 68.6% less likely to have internet access

In Bhutan, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sudan, about 28.7% do as of 2022.

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be 34.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 65% of people on average (74% in urban areas, and 60% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 35.5% less on healthcare

Bhutan spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 60.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Bhutan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sudan, they kill 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 97.9% less home broadband

Bhutan has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sudan has 0.1 as of 2022.

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live with 84.2 times more strain on fresh water

Bhutan withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sudan withdraws 119% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 78.6% less CO2

Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 22.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Bhutan, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sudan, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2023). How we calculate this

Sudan: At a glance

Sudan is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,731,671 sq km. Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from Anglo-Egyptian co rule in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements signed on September 27, 2012 relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries. The final disposition of the contested Abyei region has also to be decided. Since South Sudan's independence, conflict has broken out between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which has resulted in 1.2 million internally displaced persons or severely affected persons in need of humanitarian assistance. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. Violence in Darfur in 2013 resulted in an additional estimated 6,000 civilians killed and 500,000 displaced. The UN and the African Union have jointly commanded a Darfur peacekeeping operation known as the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) since 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled to stabilize the situation and have increasingly become targets for attacks by armed groups. In 2013, 16 peacekeepers were killed, UNAMID's deadliest year so far. Sudan also has faced refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and government denial of access have impeded the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
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