various conflicts and wars in the southern, eastern and western regions of Sudan over the past few decades. The government of South Sudan (led by the former SPLM resistance movement) has in the past accused Sudan of deliberately manipulating the census in oil-rich regions such as the Abyei district, on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The population count is a determining factor for the share of wealth and power each part of Sudan receives after the secession of South Sudan (See: Naivasha Agreement). Another complication is the Southern Sudanese refugees present in the north, whose citizenship in Sudan after the secession of South Sudan is now in question. 250,000 refugees from Syria live in Sudan. Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2016): Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020): Vital statistics The vital statistics below do not include South Sudan. ` Ethnic groups Sudanese Arabs (approximately 70%) Ethnically Arabised Africans Fur people Beja people Nuba people Nubian people Languages The most widely spoken languages in Sudan are: Arabic language: Sudanese Arabic. Najdi and Hejazi Arabic, (mainly in mid-north and mid-east regions). Chadian Arabic in western region, (mainly spoken by Baggara and various Arabized African tribes). Nubian language in far north, (mainly spoken by Nubians of Mahas, Dongola and Halfa). Beja language knows as Bedawit in far east alongside Red sea, (mainly spoken by Beja of Hadandawa, Ababda and Bisharin). Before 2005, only Arabic was the official language. In the 2005 constitution, Sudan's official languages became Arabic and English: The working constitution of the post-2019 Revolution transitional period specifies no national language. Religion In Sudan, 97% of the population adheres to Islam, with the overwhelming majority being adherents of the Sunni Sufi branch and the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence. The remainder of the population follows either animist and indigenous beliefs or Christianity, especially in Khartoum and in southern regions of the country bordering South Sudan. Christians in Sudan which are refugees or immigrants from the south belong to various churches including the Roman Catholic Church, small Melkite and Maronite communities in the north, as well as Anglicans followers in the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the recently formed Reformed Episcopal Church. There are significant but long-established groups of Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christians in Khartoum and other northern cities. There are also Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox communities in Khartoum and eastern Sudan, largely made up