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Sudan: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated 18 September 2026 · UN World Population Prospects

Sudan has a population of 53,282,719 (UN estimate, 2026), with Khartoum as its capital. The 50 largest of its 101 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+92%

since 2000 (27,816,745)

+60%

projected by 2050 (85,206,383)

people per km²

UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.

Full UN series, 1950 to 2050

Year	Population
1950	6,189,910
1975	14,064,798
2000	27,816,745
2005	31,262,444
2010	35,414,399
2015	40,024,431
2020	46,789,231
2025	51,662,147
2026	53,282,719
2030 projected	58,571,616
2050 projected	85,206,383

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Sudan

#	Place	Region	Population
1	Khartoum	Khartoum	1,974,647
2	Omdurman	Khartoum	1,849,659
3	Khartoum North	Khartoum	1,012,211
4	Nyala	Southern Darfur	565,734
5	Port Sudan	Red Sea	489,725
6	Kassala	Kassala	401,477
7	El Obeid	North Kordofan	393,311
8	Al Qadarif	Al Qaḑārif	363,945
9	Kosti	White Nile	345,068
10	Wad Medani	Al Jazirah	332,714
11	El Daein	Eastern Darfur	264,734
12	El Fasher	Northern Darfur	252,609
13	Singa	Sennar	250,000
14	Ad-Damazin	Blue Nile	186,051
15	Al-Junaynah	Western Darfur	162,981
16	Rabak	White Nile	135,281
17	El Geneina Fort	Western Darfur	134,264
18	Sennar	Sennar	130,122
19	Al Manāqil	Al Jazirah	128,297
20	Gereida	Southern Darfur	120,000
21	Atbara	River Nile	112,021
22	An Nuhūd	West Kordofan	108,008
23	Ad-Damir	River Nile	103,941
24	Kadugli	Southern Kordofan	87,666
25	Ad Douiem	White Nile	87,068
26	Burām	Southern Darfur	65,473
27	Shendi	River Nile	63,746
28	New Halfa	Kassala	63,589
29	Dilling	Southern Kordofan	59,089
30	Er Roseires	Blue Nile	58,712
31	Umm Ruwaba	North Kordofan	56,833
32	Dongola	Northern State	56,167
33	'Ārdamatā	Western Darfur	55,637
34	Kas	Southern Darfur	55,255
35	Mellit	Northern Darfur	50,165
36	Sh'īarīah	Eastern Darfur	48,966
37	Al Hasaheisa	Al Jazirah	47,408
38	Abu Jibeha	Southern Kordofan	47,188
39	Khashm al Qirbah	Al Qaḑārif	42,900
40	Suakin	Red Sea	42,456
41	Kabkābīyah	Northern Darfur	42,376
42	Tullus	Southern Darfur	41,807
43	Al Mijlad	West Kordofan	40,418
44	Tokār	Red Sea	37,051
45	Ar Rahad	North Kordofan	36,518
46	Sinkat	Red Sea	35,617
47	Zalinjay	Central Darfur	35,061
48	Kutum	Northern Darfur	34,694
49	As Sūkī	Sennar	33,524
50	Babanūsah	West Kordofan	32,759

Twenty years earlier: Sudan in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 35,035,677.

Common questions

What is the population of Sudan?

Sudan has a population of 53,282,719, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 85,206,383 — a forecast, not a measurement.

What is the capital of Sudan?

Khartoum.

Go deeper

Khartoum

The largest place we record in Sudan: 1,974,647 people

Sudan in 2005

The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 35,035,677 then

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