Newly released World Bank figures: Sudan's industry reaches 33.6% of the economy in 2025, but recovery stays weak

Sudan's industry is stirring, not booming.

Industrial output grew by 2.04%, according to the World Bank's newly released annual growth figures. That follows falls of 13.1% in 2024 and 25.9% in 2023. The direction has changed, but the improvement is small beside those losses. Businesses are starting from a badly damaged base, not returning to normal.

The World Bank's newly released figures show industry taking a much bigger share of everything the economy produces in a year. Its share now exceeds every earlier reading since 2001, far above its previous ten-year average of 21.0%. Yet a bigger share does not necessarily mean busy factories. It can also reflect higher industrial prices or greater weakness elsewhere.

Industry added $20.2 billion to Sudan's economy, up from $11.5 billion the previous year, according to newly released World Bank figures. That jump looks dramatic beside the small rise in output. Prices and the exchange rate used to turn local earnings into dollars can move the money total. The modest output growth is the stronger reason to resist calling this a boom.

War is the likely reason recovery remains so fragile. Damaged premises, interrupted electricity and unsafe transport routes make restarting expensive. A factory may reopen without being able to secure supplies or deliver goods reliably. Firms in safer areas probably have better chances than those near fighting or broken supply routes. Businesses also need customers who can afford their products, not merely machines that still work.

There is another reason for caution: industry includes mining, construction and utilities, not just manufacturing. Stronger gold mining could lift the total without a similar improvement in food processing or other factories. The figures cannot settle which activity drove the change. That matters because a mining-led rebound would probably spread work and income differently from a broad reopening of factories.

For workers, a small rebound offers hope of renewed shifts, but not yet dependable employment. For shop owners, unreliable local production likely means continued supply gaps and pressure on costs.

The next releases need to show sustained output growth, rather than another jump in dollar values or economic share. Factory production, electricity availability and hiring would help show whether the restart is spreading. Until then, Sudan's industrial recovery looks narrow and vulnerable.

Analysis by MENACodex. The reasons and effects discussed are our reading; every figure traces to official data.