Overcoming Conflict and Fragility:
Refugees in South Sudan
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has been affected by violence, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee in search of refuge in neighbouring countries. Most go to Uganda, which borders the south of the country.
Even as South Sudanese continue to seek safety abroad, the country has opened its doors to others fleeing violence and hardship. As of June 2025, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reports over 585,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, 1.7 million returnees, and almost 2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan.
Since the outbreak of the most recent Sudanese conflict in April 2023, the number of people seeking protection in South Sudan has risen rapidly, and there are no signs that the situation will improve soon. While Sudanese make up more than 95% of all refugees in South Sudan, the country also hosts people from other neighbouring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Nearly all the registered refugees in the north of South Sudan are Sudanese, but the Sudanese refugees are outnumbered by refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia in the south. Data from the UNHCR Forced Displacement Survey shows that wellbeing indicators vary considerably across refugees of different nationalities.
Both refugees and hosts are characterized by a large share of children and adolescents, but refugees tend to be even younger relative to hosts. Half of the refugees sampled by the Forced Displacement Survey in 2023 were 15 or younger.
Refugee communities face mounting pressures across South Sudan
Source: UNHCR Forced Displacement Survey – South Sudan, 2023.
Disclaimer: Map locations and boundaries are approximate and for illustrative purposes only. No official endorsement is implied.
These young people are part of separated families. Between one-third (32% in the South) and over half (56% in the North) of refugee households were separated at the time of displacement.
Young refugees in South Sudan tend to have low educational attainment, aggravated by gender differences. Around half of male refugees between 14 and 34 have completed primary school, compared to one-third of female refugees.
Schooling is also often disrupted in South Sudan, meaning that many adolescents complete their primary or secondary education later than the intended age. The most frequent reason for this disruption is the associated costs of education services, such as school materials, uniforms, or transportation.
Unlike hosts, refugees’ households have significant gender differences in the labor force participation rates, which captures the economically active share of the population. The rate is higher for men than women in the South (57% compared to 38%) and North (37% and 29%). With limited access to economic opportunities, social assistance almost exclusively comes from non-governmental actors.
New arrivals are setting up new settlements near the border with the hope of returning once the war is over.
Most arrivals entering via Joda Border Point are South Sudanese returnees from refugee camps across the White Nile State, while those entering via unofficial crossings are mainly Sudanese nationals from Sennar and Blue Nile States.
© UNHCR/Reason Moses Runyanga
Alongside social and economic vulnerabilities, climate change also presents a major threat to South Sudan, which is ranked as the world’s second most vulnerable country to natural hazards in the 2024 INFORM Risk Index.
Despite severe poverty, the impacts of climate change, and underdevelopment, particularly in border regions, the Government of South Sudan continues to offer protection to people who have fled their homes. It allows entry to all individuals arriving from Sudan, including Sudanese refugees, granting immediate (prima facie) status recognition to all Sudanese affected by the current crisis. This favourable policy environment generates momentum to promote development strategies that assist local authorities, host communities, as well as displaced and returnee persons.
Note: The Forced Displacement Survey examined refugees in South Sudan as of March 2023, before the Sudanese crisis. The results included refugees living in camps and settlements in the north (Pariang and Maban county, Ruweng Administrative Area, and Upper Nile) and the south (Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, and Jonglei).
References and sources