South Sudan vs Syria: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
South Sudan
65.0%
in 2025
Syria
67.8%
in 2025
South Sudan rank
169th
Syria rank
167th
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government over time
- South Sudan
- Syria
How they compare
Syria currently reports 67.8% against 65.0% in South Sudan, a difference of 2.8%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 99 shared years of data; in 1827 it was Syria ahead.
South Sudan ranks 169th and Syria ranks 167th of 174 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, South Sudan averaged higher in 1 and Syria in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Sudan | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 45.0% | 67.5% | 22.5% | Syria |
| 1830s | 45.0% | 46.5% | 1.5% | Syria |
| 1840s | 44.5% | 59.5% | 15.0% | Syria |
| 1850s | 40.0% | 59.5% | 19.5% | Syria |
| 1950s | 80.6% | 94.0% | 13.4% | Syria |
| 1960s | 80.6% | 94.2% | 13.6% | Syria |
| 1970s | 84.6% | 93.8% | 9.2% | Syria |
| 1980s | 79.7% | 93.8% | 14.0% | Syria |
| 1990s | 71.0% | 93.8% | 22.8% | Syria |
| 2000s | 67.7% | 89.3% | 21.6% | Syria |
| 2010s | 68.6% | 62.3% | 6.3% | South Sudan |
| 2020s | 67.3% | 70.9% | 3.6% | Syria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of territory effectively controlled by government, South Sudan or Syria?
- Syria, at 67.8% against 65.0% in South Sudan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in percentage of territory effectively controlled by government between South Sudan and Syria?
- 2.8%, with Syria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Sudan and Syria?
- 99 years are reported by both, from 1827 to 2025.
- How do South Sudan and Syria rank globally for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- South Sudan ranks 169th and Syria ranks 167th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.