Top 10 poorest country in Africa
The weather is amazing in Africa. This continent has rich soils and all the potential to develop and grow. Still, there are many poor countries here. Which one is the poorest country in Africa in 2018? Keep reading to find out the answer.
Unfortunately, every year the world’s ranks of the poorest nations include African countries among other places. Is Zambia the poorest country in Africa based on the most recent rankings or not? What is the name of the first poorest country here? There are so many questions, that can be answered by our selection of the top 10 poorest country in Africa.
Poorest country in Africa
Poor economy are common for countries that have unstable political life, bad leadership and decisions, disasters, etc. It is easier to use GDP per capita to understand which one is the poorest country in Africa.
What is GDP? This abbreviation describes the gross domestic product used as the main indicator of healthy or ill economies. The GDP shows the value of services and goods in dollars, and these goods are produced over a particular period (for example, for a quarter or a year). The gross domestic product also shows the comparison to previous periods, when it is expressed in percent. The annual numbers of the gross domestic product show the benchmark of the country’s economic health and size.
So now, since we understand what GDP really means we can look at Africa’s 54 countries and figure out which one is the poorest.
10 poorest African countries
The rank of the top 10 African countries that cannot boast healthy economy in 2018 is based on the GDP per capita information provided by the World Bank. So here it comes.
1. Burundi
This is the first poorest country in Africa on our list today. Its GDP per capita is only around 285 U.S. dollars. Most citizens are involved in the agricultural sector of the economy. However, their equipment are old, manufacturing is not developed, soils suffer from erosion and the civil war still influences the life here.
2. Malawi
This second poorest country in Africa keeps leading the list because of many problems it faces year over year. This African country’s GDP per capita reaches approximately 300 U.S. dollars. Its people cannot get adequate health care services, proper education. They are mostly involved in agriculture and suffer from many different illnesses. While the government is trying to fix the problems, there haven’t been any recent changes.
3. Niger
Located in West Africa, this country is one (third and not the first) of the poorest country on the continent. Its GDP per capita is about 364 U.S. dollars. The country exports its agricultural products to other underdeveloped countries on the continent and this is the reason why its economy does not grow much.
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4. Mozambique
The 15-years civil that was over in 1992 still influences the country and its inability to grow the economy and let citizens live a better life. Many of people are involved in agriculture. However, with approximately seven percent of arable lands it is impossible to make this sector bring the revenue and save economy. The country’s GDP per capita is nearly 382 U.S. dollars.
5. CAR or Central African Republic
The citizens of this country cannot take advantage of their national treasures such as diamonds and timber. Many years of wars, political instability, and growing corruption makes changes for better nearly impossible. As a result, the republic’s GDP per capita is slightly over 382 U.S. dollars.
6. Madagascar
While the country keeps developing its natural treasures (agriculture and mining), its economy does not develop that fast. It cannot attract foreign investments due to the inner political issues. The country’s GDP per capita is approximately 401 U.S. dollars, and the country is developing its tourism industry to get more revenue from foreign visitors.
7. Somalia
There is no wonder why Somalia is on our list. Suffering from the endless civil war that began over 30 years ago, this country is controlled by military government. Its economy cannot develop and grow because it fully depends on international remittances, livestock, and telecommunications. The country’s GDP per capita is about 434 U.S. dollars.
8. The Democratic Republic of Congo
Citizens experience problems with finding jobs in DR Congo even though this African country has opportunities to develop agricultural sector, forestry, hunting, etc. Congo remains one of the poorest countries on African continent with the country’s GDP per capita being approximately 444 U.S. dollars.
9. Liberia
Like many other African countries, Liberia relies on its natural resources of minerals and agricultural. Still after the civil war, it ended up with no capital resources, bad infrastructure and no political stability. The country’s GDP per capita is approximately 455 U.S. dollars.
10. The Gambia
The country’s GDP per capita is slightly over 473 U.S. dollars. The Gambia mainly depends on its livestock because its natural resources such as minerals are not sufficient for the economy to grow and keep developing. Even though, this country is number 10 on our list and boasts the higher GDP than other 9 African countries, it still depends on international donations.
Is Zambia the poorest country in Africa in 2018? The answer is ‘no.’ According to the World Bank’s statistics; the country’s GDP per capita is about 1269 U.S. dollars. With Burundi as the poorest country in Africa, you now know the list of 10 poorest countries on the continent.
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Source: Legit.ng
