Top 100 Poorest Countries In The World (2024)

The poorest countries in the world are some of the least mentioned names in the global media because poverty is an unpleasant reality that the world rather not see. Poverty has been defined as a lack of money, but that definition is too simple; it leaves out the hunger, homelessness, squalor, sickness, and lack of human decency.

Poor countries are at the bottom of world importance; sadly they are often the last to get a mention whenever something notable is happening in the world.

They have the least literate population, experience high mortality rates, and their markets are the least vibrant which means investors have the least chance of recovering whatever money they invest. All these factors make poor countries generally poorer, while the rest of the world gets richer.

Top 100 Poorest Countries In The World

1. Burundi      

GDP Per Capita: $727

Burundi is a country in Burundi the Great Rift Valley area; which is near East Africa. Burundi is landlocked; it is surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Thankfully, Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border.

Burundi is the poorest country in the world; most of the 12.5 million people in the country live in abject poverty.

Burundi’s economy is small; 90 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture; and not even the type of agriculture that brings profits- this is subsistence agriculture; just to meet their food needs.

2. The Central African Republic     

GDP Per Capita: $822

The Central African Republic is a country in Central Africa; one that is also landlocked. The country is surrounded by Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo Brazzaville, and Cameroon.

The Central African Republic was recently in the news because of socio-ethnic disturbances. Those kinds of disturbances are associated with poor countries because poor people are generally angry.

With a GDP per capita of $822; CAR is one of the poorest places on earth. Without doubt, this has to do with the unresolved war or ethnic disturbances. Most of the people are farmers; and mostly they plant staple foods such as cassava or maize.

3. Congo Democratic Republic        

GDP Per Capita: $849

Congo Democratic Republic is a large country with much potential. The country is located in central Africa; and has neighbors like Uganda, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Tanzania and Angola.

Congo DR has a vast expanse of fertile land; and very hard working people. However, the country still struggles with a lack of infrastructure such as electricity, transportation, and outdated systems of agriculture.

Even though the country is underdeveloped; it is one of those with the greatest potential on the continent, and can rise out of poverty with the right leadership.

4. Eritrea

GDP Per Capita: $1,060

Eritrea is a country in the horn of Africa. Nearby countries include Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti. This country was established in 1993, after a long and bloody war with Ethiopia. Eritrea is still in the process of building its society and economy.

Eritrea has one of the lowest GDP per capita in the world; it is estimated at $1,060. Agriculture is the main economic activity in Eritrea, it employs a large section of the population. Other up-coming sectors of the economy include mining, tourism, and services. In fact mining provides the bulk of the income to the government, but it does not directly affect the people.

5. Niger           

GDP Per Capita: $1,106

Niger is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by countries like Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin and Burkina Faso, Algeria and Mali. Niger Republic is a landlocked country, but has great potential because it has good relationships with its neighbors in West and North Africa.

Niger suffers from Jihadist Insurrections, lack of infrastructure, drought and desertification, as well as a population that is growing faster than what the government can manage.

Niger has an economy that is built around subsistence agriculture, and that has so many challenges chief among which is the lack of adequate rainfall. The people are just not equipped to grow their agriculture such that it can be profitable.

6. Malawi

GDP Per Capita: $1,240

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,240, making it poor by any definition. Malawi has a population of 20 million, and is located in Southeastern Africa. Malawi is one of the oldest inhabited parts of sub Saharan Africa- there are rock arts to prove this.

Malawi is poor because of the problems hindering direct investment. The people have for a long time depended on subsistence agriculture. However, that tide is turning; farmers are forming cooperatives and working together to make farming more profitable.

Malawi’s poverty is reducing because of the efforts of government and other organizations.

7. Mozambique

GDP Per Capita: $1,303

Mozambique is a country in southeast Africa. Its neighbors include Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa. Across the Mozambique Channel, the country is close to Comoros, Mayotte and Madagascar.

Mozambique is classified as a heavily indebted poor country; this is because raw materials are the country’s main exports, and the mining industry does not provide enough employment to cater to the greater population.

Manufacturing and food processing are virtually non existent, but the services sector is quite active.

8. Liberia

GDP Per Capita: $1,404

Liberia is a country in West Africa; it is located close to countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and an extensive coastline meeting the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia is quite a small country; it has a population of about 5 million.

Liberia has had a bloody history; it has fought two civil wars; and has not really recovered. The economic outlook therefore looks poor even know despite decades of peace.

Liberia still depends rather heavily on foreign aid, and the country is also deeply indebted. However, the manufacturing industry has made significant progress, and the country may become quite stable very soon, then it is only a matter of time before the spending power increases.

9. South Sudan          

GDP Per Capita: $1,602

South Sudan is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa. Some of its neighbors include Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya, Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. South Sudan has a population of around 10.9 million.

South Sudan is a new country; it attained independence in 2011. This means there is a lot of nation building to be done; the country needs to build its infrastructure, so as to make production easier and help the people build wealth.

The economy is supported by the exportation of raw materials such as oil, copper, timber, silver, gold, and iron ore.

10. Sierra Leone

GDP Per Capita: $1,690

Sierra Leone is a country in the Western Coast of Africa. Its closest neighbors are Liberia, and Guinea. Sierra Leone has a similar history and culture to Liberia. The country has very good land; it ranges from Savannah to Rainforests.

Sierra Leone has a population of around 7 million; although the land area is quite small, there is access to the Atlantic Ocean.

Sierra Leone has not been able to build its economy which collapsed due to war. A big concern is corruption especially in the diamond sector; much of the money has been going to private hands, thus limiting the funds available for the government to fight poverty.

The following is a more extensive presentation of the 100 poorest countries in the world.

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Closing

This list of the poorest countries in the world brings to the fore front the association between poverty and war. Most of these countries are still socially unstable, while others have long and bloody wars in their recent history.

While war can be ended and replaced with peace; but the damage it does is not easily reversed. Countries need decades to gradually build up their infrastructure until they can be attractive to investors who will create jobs, and take the people out of poverty.