With land area of 1.8 million square kilometers, traversed by the Nile and its tributaries, Sudan shares its
borders with South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia. The country
is composed of 17 states and 184 localities. It has access to the Red Sea with a long coastline. Its terrain is
generally flat, with mountains in the north-east and west, while desert dominates the north. It has a
population of 34 million1
, 88% of which is settled. The population is distributed as follows: 32.7% in urban
areas, 67% in rural areas while 8% are nomads. Almost 6.9% of the population is internally displaced. The
country has undergone a trend of increasing urbanization with natural disasters, civil conflict and poor
conditions in rural areas being factors that have contributed to this.There is no information available on the human development index and percent population below
US$ 1.25/day PPP (purchasing power Parity)2
on Sudan after separation of the South. Poverty remains
widespread with Sudan and 46.5% of the population lives below the poverty line according to the
national definition of poverty (US$ 1.5 per person/day). Those who are most affected by poverty are the
rural dwellers, particularly women and internally displaced people.3
  
The country ranks seventh among the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in terms of total
fertility rate. It is also among the 10 countries in the Region with highest child and maternal mortality
rates. Despite the efforts of the authorities, Sudan is falling behind the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) which the international community fixed for 2015.
This document is meant to provide an analysis of the current status of maternal, newborn and child
health in the country to highlight the reasons why the country is not on track to achieve the MDGs 4 and
5 if current trends continue, and suggests possible solutions and the way forward to accelerate the
progress towards MDGs 4 and 5.