The poorest countries in the world, the updated ranking

The updated 2025 ranking of the World’s Poorest Countries shows once again that Sub-Saharan Africa suffers most from a lack of growth, access to resources, decent living standards, and satisfaction of basic needs. In short, because of poverty.

As highlighted in the World Bank Group 2024 report, almost 700 million people (8.5% of the world’s population) live in extreme poverty, on less than $2.15 a day. According to last year’s report, 67% of the world’s poor were concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Looking at the April 2025 data on GDP per capita processed by the IMF, the general picture does not change, with the poorest countries in the world still concentrated in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The updated ranking.

GDP per capita, a parameter that certifies poverty

It is difficult to know the causes of poverty in the long term in advance. Likewise, it is not possible to define with certainty an infallible calculation method that allows us to establish at an absolute level which is the poorest country of all. To this end, however, we are helped by the GDP per capita, which is used as a standard metric value by the international community.

This data, which is continuously updated based on various factors, is a close relative of the GDP but, unlike it, is able to better photograph the situation. In fact, by parameterizing the differences in the cost of living and inflation, the purchasing power index universally certifies the economic weakness of a population.

In short, as indicated by the Mef, it is:

ratio between the value of the GDP of the country in the period considered and its number of inhabitants. The indicator provides a measure of the average standard of living recorded in the country.

The 10 poorest countries in the world: the 2025 ranking

The whole of Sub-Saharan Africa has a GDP per capita of 1,590 dollars per year, a value that shows all the fragility of the area when compared to that of 64,000 dollars per year of the main world economies (the G7).

For curiosity, according to the IMF estimates of April 2025, the EU has a GDP per capita of 44,000 dollars per year and North America 66,000 dollars per year.

Below the threshold of 10,000 per year are the regions of the world of South America, Asia and the Pacific, Central America, Southeast Asia, North Africa, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa.

To find the poorest countries globally, you need to focus on these regions.

10. Niger
With a GDP per capita of $751, Niger is the tenth poorest country in the world.

Located in West Africa, in the heart of the Sahel, Niger has an economy that is highly dependent on agriculture. Despite ongoing efforts to improve the situation, poverty remains a major challenge. In 2024, according to the World Bank, the extreme poverty rate stood at 45.3%. It is expected to fall to 35.8% by 2027, driven by strong growth expected in the agricultural sector.

However, the outlook is subject to downside risks related to security threats, climate shocks, difficulties in debt renewal and refinancing, and pressures in the banking sector.

Since the coup d’état of July 26, 2023, Niger has been governed by a military regime, with General Abdourahmane Tiani. The nation’s military leader was sworn in as president of the country in March 2025, for a transitional period of five years.

9. Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $742. Independent since 1960, this former French colony has one of the lowest human development indices in the world. Rich in uranium, diamonds, oil and gold, the territory has many natural resources that, for the most part, are underexploited.

Forestry and agriculture are very important. The latter is characterized by the cultivation and sale of crops such as peanuts, corn and cassava. Not to be overlooked are the wild areas that are potentially interesting destinations for lovers of eco-tourism as well as precious reserves for the conservation of various species.

However, it is estimated that in 2024, 73.5% of the Congolese population lived on less than $2.15 a day. About one in six people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The resurgence of the M23 rebel group has also significantly hindered the DRC’s path to achieving peace and development. Currently, almost 20% of the national territory is controlled by the rebels, following the fall of important cities and territories in the provinces of North and South Kivu.

8. Mozambique
A sovereign state in East Africa, it is a former Portuguese colony. Independent since 1975, the economy is mainly based on agriculture. About two-thirds of its estimated 33 million inhabitants (2023) live and work in rural areas. The country has ample resources, including arable land, abundant water sources, energy, mineral resources, and recently discovered natural gas deposits off its coast.

With a GDP per capita of $663, Mozambique is among the ten poorest countries in the world due to political instability and severe climate conditions.

GDP growth decelerated to 1.8% in 2024, down from 5.4% in 2023, mainly due to post-election disruptions in the fourth quarter of 2024. Heavy rains affected agricultural production, while a slowdown in the extractive sector further dampened economic activity.

Additionally, the conflict in gas-rich Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique’s northernmost province, has taken a heavy toll in terms of lives and livelihoods, as well as damage to the region’s physical infrastructure and human and social capital. As of mid-March 2025, the conflict had killed 5,947 people and displaced 580,000.

7. Sudan
Sudanese GDP per capita is US$624.

For much of its independent history, the country has faced significant internal conflict that has weakened its ability to play a leadership role in the region. These include two of the continent’s longest-running civil wars and the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile. Under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, becoming Africa’s 54th independent state.

South Sudan’s secession has caused multiple economic shocks, including the loss of oil revenues that accounted for more than half of the Sudanese government’s revenue and 95 percent of its exports. This has led to reduced economic growth and double-digit consumer price inflation.

An escalation in conflict since April 2023 has had a devastating impact on the population. The escalating conflict has disrupted lives, damaged infrastructure, and strained the economy, turning Sudan into the world’s largest displacement crisis.

United Nations (UN) reports indicate that as of March 2025, nearly 13 million people were displaced within Sudan or in neighboring countries. The effects on food security are alarming, with nearly 26 million people suffering from acute hunger, more than 50% of Sudan’s population.

6. Madagascar
Since independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has been marked by periods of political instability, coups and contested elections. The situation has been made worse by the consequences of Covid and the war in Ukraine. The latter has led to an increase in food prices that weighs on citizens’ pockets.

If all this were not enough, Madagascar is among the top 10 countries in the world considered vulnerable to climate risks, such as floods, droughts and cyclones that cause damage to homes and crops. With a GDP per capita of $594, the country has one of the highest poverty rates in the world.

5. Malawi
A landlocked country, Malawi is one of the smallest countries on the African continent. The last period has been marked by an economic crisis that led to currency devaluation, a sharp increase in food prices and fuel shortages.

Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world, despite significant economic and structural reforms undertaken to support economic growth. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which employs over 80% of the population, and is vulnerable to external shocks, particularly climate shocks.

Its GDP per capita is $580.

4. Central African Republic
The Central African Republic’s GDP per capita is $531.

Independent since 1960, this former French colony has one of the lowest human development indices in the world. Rich in uranium, diamonds, oil and gold, the territory has many natural resources that, for the most part, are under-exploited.

Forestry and agriculture are very important. The latter is characterized by the cultivation and sale of crops such as peanuts, corn and cassava. Not to be overlooked are the wild areas that are potentially interesting destinations for eco-tourism lovers as well as precious reserves for the conservation of various species.

The Central African Republic is among the countries with the lowest scores in the Human Capital Index and the Human Development Index, with a score of 0.26 in 2020, placing it 191st out of 193 countries in 2022. Although it has significant agricultural potential and large forested areas, the population has not yet benefited significantly from these resources.

3. Burundi
Burundi ranks third on this dismal podium, with a GDP per capita of $489.

About 80% of the population depends on subsistence agriculture and as a result the level of food insecurity is almost double the average of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

Less than 5% of the population has electricity and few have access to water and sanitation.

Real GDP growth reached 3.5% in 2024, compared to 2.7% in 2023, supported by agriculture and government interventions, but is burdened by a severe shortage of fuel.

Poverty rates remain among the highest globally, at
nearly 63% in 2024, as double-digit inflation, regional and global tensions, and an economic slowdown weigh on growth.

2. Yemen
Yemen has a per capita GDP of $416.

A decade after the start of the civil war, which caused catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the country, millions of Yemenis are being pushed deeper into hunger and extreme poverty due to the rapidly collapsing currency.

The country has 80% of the population living in poverty, with an estimated 17.1 million people suffering from food insecurity and 55% of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition.

The war has destroyed much of Yemen’s critical infrastructure: roads, bridges, markets, hospitals, schools, and private factories that fueled the Yemeni economy.

The IMF reported in early 2025 that economic conditions have continued to deteriorate, with GDP and real incomes set to contract further in 2024 due to the significant depreciation of the Yemeni rial, in the face of a blockade of oil exports, limited external financing and rising inflation. Fiscal and external positions remain under pressure, reserves are critically low and arrears continue to increase.

1. South Sudan

With a GDP per capita of $251, South Sudan is the poorest country in the world.

Devastated for years by corruption and war, this state is rich in resources, such as oil, iron, copper, silver, gold and zinc. The majority of the workforce is engaged in agriculture, mainly subsistence.

Various internal conflicts and often extreme weather events, however, often make it impossible to plant and harvest the fruits of the harvest. Infrastructure is poor, over 60% of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, and the country also has a high rate of female illiteracy.

The World Bank estimates that South Sudan’s economy will contract by 30% in fiscal year 2024/2025, but is expected to recover in fiscal year 2025/2026, if the country’s Dar Blend Oil exports recover.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: I Paesi più poveri del mondo, la classifica aggiornata