White Nile State Profile

Updated March 2022

Humanitarian Partner Presence

Presence Type UN/IO INGO NNGO

Physical 6 4 18
Programme 6 4 18
Source: OCHA White Nile 3Ws (January 2019)

People in need HNO 2022

State National
IDPs 0 2.9M
Refugees 250,590 1.2M
Returnees 0 0.9M
Vulnerable residents 439,130 9.3M
Total 689,720 14.3M
Source: 2022 HNO

Area 380,000 km2 P

White Nile in Numbers

Indicator State National

Projected population 2021* 2,967,496* 47,941,157*
Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1,000 live births) 66 in 1,000 68 in 1000**
Children who complete primary school and continue to secondary school 96.8% 90.7%**
Percentage of literate young women (15 – 24 years) 67.5% 59.8%**
Percentage of girls married before the age of 18 36.9% 38%**
Chronic malnutrition (severe and moderate) prevalence among children U5 36.66% 38.2%**
GAM (Global Acute Malnutrition) prevalence among children U5 14.4% 16.3%**
Number of children U5 suffering from GAM*** 123,966 2,957,939***
Number of people projected at IPC phase 3 & 4 (Oct 2021 – Feb 20221) 376,896 5,956,008****
Percentage of people in White Nile with access to improved drinking water 32.7% 68%**

Food Security

IPC (number of people) October 2021 – February 2022

Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 14%
1,136,193 259,767 117,128
of locality population in IPC3 and IPC 4
in 9 localities in 9 localities in 9 localities total state localities: 9
Sources: * IPC (June – September 2021) + refugee figure, Refugee Consultation Forum (RCF); **MICS Facts & Figures 2014; ***2022 HNO;
****Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Sudan Acute Food Insecurity Situation Overview, April 2021- February 2022

Contact information:
Mohammed Gimish, National Field Coordinator, Khartoum
Email: gimish@un.org

www.unocha.org
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is to mobilize and coordinate effective
and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
Background
White Nile State is situated in the southern part of Sudan.
There are nine localities: Ad Douiem, Al Gutaina, Kosti,
Rabak,Al Jabalien Tendulti, Um Remta, Alsalaam, Guli,
the state has a population of about 1.7 million people
based on the latest census of 2010, about 1,730588
people. White Nile hosts one of the larger refugee
populations in the country, with over 275,500 refugees
living within the state

Humanitarian overview
Flooding and protracted displacement are the main
drivers of humanitarian needs in White Nile State. The
state hosts the largest South Sudanese refugee
population in the country.

Key Issues

Humanitarian needs
• About 690,000 people (refugees and
vulnerable residents) need humanitarian
assistance in the state, according to the 2022
Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO).
• There are about 377,000 people—14 per cent
of the people in the state—in crisis and above
levels of food security between October 2021
and February 2022, according to the latest
Sudan Integrated Food Security Phase
Classification (IPC) analysis.
• About 124,000 people in the state are
malnourished (2022 HNO).
• White Nile State hosts the largest South
Sudanese refugee population with estimated
275,500 refugees taking refuge in the state,
according to UNHCR.
• White Nile State has protracted caseload of
about 100,000 returnees who arrived from
South Sudan when it seceded in 2011,
according to HAC. No durable solution has
been devised to address their needs. Most of
the returnees have been accommodated by
their relatives and were given access to land to
cultivate.
• In 2021 an estimated 81,000 people in the state
were affected by floods. Humanitarian partners
were able to respond to the needs of people
affected in accessible areas. Some villages
were inaccessible due to inundation and bad
road conditions and could only be reached by
ferry. The Sudanese Red Crescent (SRCS), in
collaboration with ICRC, evacuated about 70
families who were trapped by floodwaters in
areas near Kilo 4 village.

Humanitarian funding
• As of 31 March, the 2022 Sudan Humanitarian
Response Plan (HRP) received US$166.1
million—8.6 per cent of the requirement,
according to the Financial Tracking System
(FTS).
www.unocha.org
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is to mobilize and coordinate effective
and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.