The world’s poorest countries suffer from civil wars, ethnic and sectarian strife. COVID-19, soaring inflation and the war in Ukraine made their bad situations worse.

The world has enough wealth and resources to ensure that the entire human race enjoys a decent standard of living. Yet, people in countries like Burundi, South Sudan and the Central African Republic continue to live in desperate poverty.  For other likely contenders for the undesirable title of the world’s poorest country—Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea—years of political instability and conflict make it impossible to even attempt an assessment due to the lack of reliable economic figures.

So how do we determine the poorest countries in the world? While GDP per capita is often considered the standard metric, compensating for differences in living costs and rates of inflation by using purchasing power parity (PPP) can better assess an individual’s buying power in any given country.

It is hard to pinpoint a single cause for long-term poverty. Corrupt governments can make a very rich nation into a poor one. And so can a history of exploitative colonization, weak rule of law, war and social unrest, severe climate conditions or hostile, aggressive neighbors. Weaknesses compound: A country in debt will not be able to afford good schools, and a poorly educated workforce will limit capacity.

Underprivileged households worldwide suffered the severest social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. In the world’s poorest nations, where high levels of informal employment are also prevalent,  there were no social safety nets or temporary loans to keep businesses open and workers employed. The World Bank has forecasted that in low and middle-income countries, the current generation of students could lose up to 10% of their future average annual income.

Before Covid-19, the fraction of the world’s population living in extreme poverty—meaning on less than $1.90 a day—had fallen below 10% from more than 35% in 1990. The pandemic not only halted but reversed that progress: since the onset of the health emergency to the end of 2022, when in response to the rising cost of living the International Poverty Line (IPL) was also revised to $2.15, the World Bank estimated that an additional 198 million people were likely to have entered the ranks of the extremely poor. More recently, the institution has also stated that half of the world’s 75 most vulnerable countries are facing a widening income gap with the wealthiest economies for the first time in this century. Over the past two decades, it was widely believed that—as a result of lower-income nations generally improving their living standards faster than mature economies—the progressive economic convergence of richer and poorer countries would ultimately take place. Yet, one out of three in this particularly vulnerable group of 75 nations home to a quarter of humanity, 1.9 billion people, today is poorer than it was on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The numbers are striking: in the 10 richest countries in the world the average yearly per-capita purchasing power it is over $110,000, in the 10 poorest is less than $1,500. The worst part is that poverty is often likely to foster more poverty. In the latest edition of the World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) explains how impoverished nations could slide further into hardship: “The growth decline implies worsening prospects or living standards and global poverty reduction. An entrenched low-growth environment, coupled with high interest rates, would threaten debt sustainability and could fuel social tension and hinder the green transition. Furthermore, expectations of weaker growth may deter investment in capital and technologies and so, in part, become self-fulfilling.”

Top 10 Poorest Countries in the World

Below is a ranking of the ten poorest countries, starting from the country ranked tenth poorest and progressing to the country ranked as the top poorest in the world for 2024. For the complete ranking of the world’s countries from poorest to richest, click here.

10. Yemen 🇾🇪 

Current International Dollars: 1,996 | View Yemen’s GDP & Economic Data

This country of roughly 35 million, one of the most impoverished on the Arabian Peninsula, has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014 as a result of the power struggle between the Saudi-backed government and the rebel Houthi movement. The war has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people, shattered the economy and destroyed critical infrastructure. As a result, today, in this oil-rich land over 80% of the population lives in poverty.

9. Madagascar🇲🇬

Current International Dollars: 1,979 | View Madagascar’s GDP & Economic Data

Since becoming independent from France in 1960, Madagascar has experienced bouts of political instability, violent coups and disputed elections. Elected in 2019, president Andry Rajoelina came to power promising to tackle corruption, reduce poverty, and develop the economy. Mostly, they turned out to be just that: promises. Madagascar still holds one of the highest poverty rates in the world at about 75%, growth is sluggish, and inflation stands at nearly 8%. Still, Rajoelina was re-elected  in December 2023.

To be fair, the country was also faced with an unprecedented series of challenges. Along with the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, when in 2022 grain deliveries from Ukraine collapsed following the Russian invasion, food prices skyrocketed, deepening the suffering of the citizens of the island. In addition, Madagascar ranks among the top 10 countries globally most vulnerable to climate hazards, with drought, floods and cyclones resulting in deaths and population displacement, and damage to homes, infrastructures and crops.

8. Liberia🇱🇷

Current International Dollars: 1882 | View Liberia’s GDP & Economic Data

Africa’s oldest republic has ranked amongst the poorest countries in the world for many years. Expectations were high when the former football star George Weah became president in 2018. His years in office were instead marred by high inflation, unemployment and negative economic growth, until in 2023 he was defeated by opposition leader and former vice-president Joseph Boakai in a new round of elections. Boakai might have it easier than Weah: after contracting in 2020 and 2021, growth re-started in 2022. It is now projected to reach about 5.3% in 2024 and to stay above 6% in the years ahead.

7. Malawi🇲🇼

Current International Dollars: 1,712 | View Malawi’s GDP & Economic Data

One of Africa’s smallest nations, Malawi’s economy—largely dependent upon rain-fed crops—remains vulnerable to weather-related shocks. Food insecurity in rural parts is extremely high.

Malawi has enjoyed stable governments since it gained independence from Britain in 1964. However, in 2020, the constitutional court annulled former president Peter Mutharika’s win in the general elections citing vote tampering. Theologian and politician Lazarus Chakwera, who was sworn in his place, declared that he wanted to provide the kind of leadership that makes everybody prosper, but structural changes have been slow to materialize. Today, Malawi is grappling with an economic crisis that has led to fuel shortages, a surge in food prices, and a sharp devaluation of the currency. In 2023, according to the World Bank, over 70% of the population was estimated to be living below the international poverty line.

6. Niger🇳🇪

Current International Dollars:  1,675 | View Niger’s GDP & Economic Data

With 80% of its landlocked territory covered by the Sahara Desert and a rapidly growing population dependent upon small-scale agriculture, Niger is under threat from desertification. Food insecurity is high, as are disease and mortality rates. Recurrent clashes of the army with the Islamic State (ISIS) affiliate Boko Haram have displaced thousands.

In 2021, Niger inaugurated a new president—ex-teacher and former interior minister Mohamed Bazoum—in its first democratic transfer of power. With the economy expanding by 12% in 2022, things appeared to be looking up. Yet, in the summer of 2023, Bazoum was ousted and imprisoned by members of his presidential guard. The military junta has remained in power ever since.

5. Mozambique🇲🇿

Current International Dollars: 1,649 | View Mozambique’s GDP & Economic Data

Rich in resources and strategically located, this former Portuguese colony has often posted average GDP growth rates of more than 7% in the past decade. Yet it remains mired among the ten poorest countries in the world, with severe climate conditions and political instability being some of the main culprits. To make things worse, since 2017 attacks carried out by Islamic insurgent groups have plagued the gas-rich northern part of the country. Still, according to the IMF, the economy remains in high gear: it will expand by about 5% in 2024 and 2025, and it is projected to reach double-digit growth in the latter part of the decade.

4. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)🇨🇩

Current International Dollars: 1,552 | View DRC’s GDP & Economic Data

Since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the DRC has suffered decades of rapacious dictatorship, political instability and constant violence, making it a regular in our rankings of the world’s poorest countries. About 65% of the country’s roughly 100 million population gets by on less than $2.15 a day. Yet the World Bank says the DRC has the resources and potential to become one of the richest countries in Africa and a growth driver for the entire continent. The country is already the world’s largest producer of cobalt and Africa’s leading source of copper—essentials in the production of electric vehicles.

3. Central African Republic (CAR)🇨🇫

Current International Dollars:  1,123 | View CAR’s GDP & Economic Data

Rich in gold, oil, uranium and diamonds, the Central African Republic is a very wealthy country inhabited by very poor people, and has been among the poorest countries in the world for the better part of a decade. For the first time since its independence from France in 1960, in 2016 the Central African Republic has democratically elected a president: former mathematics professor and prime minister Faustin Archange Touadéra, who campaigned as a peacemaker who could bridge the divide between the Muslim minority and the Christian majority.

Yet, while his successful election has been seen as an important step towards national reconstruction, large swaths of the country remain controlled by anti-government and militia groups. Despite problems and setbacks, in recent years growth has moderately picked up, driven by the timber industry, the revival of the agricultural sector, and the partially resumed sale of diamonds.

2. Burundi🇧🇮

Current International Dollars: 916 | View Burundi’s GDP & Economic Data

Tiny landlocked Burundi lacks natural resources and has been scarred by a civil war lasting from 1993 to 2005, whose aftermath is still a contributing factor to its ranking of the second-poorest country in the world. With about 80% of Burundi’s roughly 13 million citizens relying on subsistence agriculture, food insecurity is almost twice as high as the average for sub-Saharan African countries. Furthermore, access to water and sanitation remains very low and less than 5% of the population has electricity. President Evariste Ndayishimiye has made an effort to relaunch the economy and repair diplomatic relationships, and in 2022 both the US and the European Union resumed aid after lifting financial sanctions. Unfortunately, while growth is picking up, inflation is projected this year to be around 22%.

1. South Sudan🇸🇸

Current International Dollars: 455 | View South Sudan’s GDP & Economic Data

The very poorest of the world’s poorest countries, South Sudan has been wracked by violence since its creation in 2011. Rich in oil reserves, the landlocked state of roughly 15 million represents a textbook example of the “resource curse,” whereby abundance fosters political and social divisions, inequality, corruption and warfare. The majority of the population is employed in traditional agriculture, although violence and extreme climate events often prevent farmers from planting or harvesting crops. This year, an estimated 9 million people, over 60% of South Sudan’s population, will be in need of humanitarian assistance.

World’s Poorest Countries 2024

Rank	Country/Territory	GDP-PPP per capita ($)
1	South Sudan	455
2	Burundi	916
3	Central African Republic	1,123
4	Democratic Republic of the Congo	1,552
5	Mozambique	1,649
6	Niger	1,675
7	Malawi	1,712
8	Liberia	1,882
9	Madagascar	1,979
10	Yemen	1,996
11	Somalia	2,062
12	Sierra Leone	2,189
13	Chad	2,620
14	Solomon Islands	2,713
15	Mali	2,714
16	Burkina Faso	2,781
17	Togo	2,911
18	Vanuatu	2,939
19	Zimbabwe	2,975
20	The Gambia	2,993
21	Haiti	3,108
22	Lesotho	3,227
23	Guinea-Bissau	3,239
24	Uganda	3,345
25	Guinea	3,366
26	Rwanda	3,367
27	Sudan	3,443
28	Comoros	3,532
29	Papua New Guinea	3,534
30	Kiribati	3,614
31	Tanzania	3,746
32	Timor-Leste	3,767
33	Ethiopia	4,020
34	São Tomé and Príncipe	4,238
35	Zambia	4,361
36	Benin	4,558
37	Senegal	4,661
38	Micronesia	4,691
39	Republic of Congo	4,740
40	Cameroon	4,842
41	Nepal	5,032
42	Myanmar	5,203
43	Tajikistan	5,832
44	Tuvalu	6,056
45	Marshall Islands	6,313
46	Nigeria	6,340
47	Samoa	6,721
48	Kyrgyz Republic	6,790
49	Côte d’Ivoire	6,860
50	Pakistan	6,955
51	Kenya	6,976
52	Angola	7,153
53	Ghana	7,156
54	Tonga	7,462
55	Honduras	7,503
56	Mauritania	7,680
57	Djibouti	7,707
58	Nicaragua	8,137
59	Cambodia	8,287
60	Venezuela	8,486
61	Bangladesh	9,416
62	India	10,123
63	Lao P.D.R.	10,242
64	Cabo Verde	10,304
65	Bolivia	10,693
66	Nauru	10,823
67	Uzbekistan	10,936
68	Morocco	10,947
69	Guatemala	11,006
70	Belize	11,320
71	Iraq	11,937
72	Namibia	12,008
73	Philippines	12,192
74	Jordan	12,402
75	El Salvador	12,561
76	Eswatini	12,637
77	Jamaica	13,543
78	Tunisia	13,645
79	Ecuador	14,485
80	Dominica	15,280
81	Ukraine	15,464
82	Vietnam	15,470
83	Bhutan	15,978
84	Paraguay	16,291
85	South Africa	16,424
86	Algeria	16,483
87	Mongolia	16,504
88	Peru	16,631
89	Kosovo	16,775
90	Indonesia	16,861
91	Palau	17,381
92	Fiji	17,403
93	Egypt	17,614
94	Moldova	17,902
95	Equatorial Guinea	18,378
96	Suriname	18,928
97	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	19,196
98	Azerbaijan	19,328
99	Gabon	19,452
100	St. Lucia	19,718
101	Turkmenistan	19,729
102	Colombia	19,770
104	Botswana	20,097
105	Barbados	20,592
105	Bosnia and Herzegovina	20,623
106	Albania	20,632
107	Brazil	20,809
108	Islamic Republic of Iran	21,220
109	Armenia	21,746
110	Grenada	21,799
111	North Macedonia	22,249
112	Thailand	23,401
113	China	25,015
114	Georgia	25,248
115	Belarus	25,685
116	Mexico	25,963
117	Argentina	26,390
118	Libya	26,456
119	Dominican Republic	27,120
120	Antigua and Barbuda	27,309
121	Serbia	27,985
122	Costa Rica	28,558
123	Montenegro	29,696
124	Uruguay	30,170
125	Chile	31,005
126	Mauritius	32,094
127	Trinidad and Tobago	32,685
128	Kazakhstan	34,534
129	Bulgaria	35,963
130	Maldives	37,433
131	Russia	38,292
132	St. Kitts and Nevis	38,870
133	Malaysia	39,030
134	Oman	39,859
135	Greece	41,188
136	Latvia	41,730
137	Seychelles	43,151
138	Romania	43,179
139	Puerto Rico	43,219
140	Türkiye	43,921
141	Slovak Republic	44,081
142	Panama	44,797
143	Estonia	45,122
144	Hungary	45,692
145	Croatia	45,702
146	The Bahamas	46,524
147	Portugal	47,070
148	Poland	49,060
149	Czech Republic	50,475
150	Lithuania	50,600
151	Spain	52,012
152	Kuwait	52,274
153	Slovenia	53,287
154	New Zealand	53,797
155	Japan	54,184
156	Aruba	54,716
157	Israel	55,533
158	Italy	56,905
159	Cyprus	58,733
160	United Kingdom	58,880
161	Korea	59,330
162	France	60,339
163	Canada	60,495
164	Finland	60,851
165	Bahrain	62,671
166	Australia	66,627
167	Germany	67,245
168	Malta	67,682
169	Belgium	68,079
170	Andorra	69,146
171	Sweden	69,177
172	Austria	69,460
173	Saudi Arabia	70,333
174	Iceland	73,784
175	Netherlands	74,158
176	Hong Kong SAR	75,128
177	Taiwan	76,858
178	Brunei Darussalam	77,534
179	Denmark	77,641
180	Guyana	80,137
181	Norway	82,832
182	United States	85,373
183	San Marino	86,989
184	Switzerland	91,932
185	United Arab Emirates	96,846
186	Qatar	112,283
187	Singapore	133,737
188	Ireland	133,895
189	Macao SAR	134,141
190	Luxembourg	143,743

Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook April 2024. Values are expressed in current international dollars, reflecting the corresponding exchange rates and PPP adjustments.