Full List of Top 10 Poorest Countries in the World
- Global Finance Magazine ranked Burundi as the world's poorest country with a GDP per capita of just $994.23
- Nigeria fell 12 places to 56th position in the latest ranking, recording a GDP per capita of $9,532.92
- African nations dominate the bottom of the list, with conflict, climate shocks and weak infrastructure cited as key drivers
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Burundi has been ranked the world's poorest country by Global Finance Magazine, based on GDP per capita measured in purchasing power parity (PPP), with the East African nation recording a figure of just $994.23.
The ranking, which tracks economic output relative to population and living costs, places several African countries at the bottom of the global table.
Source: Getty Images
According to Vanguard, Nigeria appears at 56th position with a GDP per capita of $9,532.92, a drop of 12 places from its 44th position in the previous year's ranking.
The 10 poorest countries in the world
Burundi tops the list at first position, followed by the Central African Republic at $1,437.72 and South Sudan at $1,467.19.
The magazine noted that nearly 90% of South Sudan's population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank, despite the country holding substantial oil reserves.
Yemen ranks fourth at $1,590.19, where years of fighting between the internationally recognised government and Houthi forces have contributed to one of the worst humanitarian crises globally. Mozambique ($1,688.91) and Malawi ($1,758.03) follow in fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Somalia occupies seventh place at $1,905.21, where ongoing threats from Al-Shabaab have eroded gains made through economic and structural reforms.
Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, ranks eighth at $1,979.42, though the country is showing early signs of recovery driven by mining and agriculture.
Madagascar comes ninth at $2,030.36, with roughly 75% of its population living in poverty and the country regularly exposed to extreme weather events including droughts, floods and cyclones.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo closes the bottom ten at $2,032.68. Despite holding the world's largest cobalt reserves and significant copper deposits, political instability and conflict since independence in 1960 have kept living standards low.
Global Finance noted the DRC has the potential to become one of Africa's wealthiest economies.
What is driving poverty in these nations
The magazine pointed to a combination of armed conflict, political instability, weak infrastructure, climate vulnerability and over-reliance on subsistence agriculture as the primary factors suppressing economic development across these countries.
Burundi's situation illustrates the pattern clearly. The landlocked nation is still recovering from a civil war that ran from 1993 to 2005, with most of its population engaged in subsistence farming and limited access to electricity, clean water and basic sanitation.
However, the International Monetary Fund projects economic growth of close to 4% for Burundi in 2026, alongside a more stable inflation outlook.
For Nigeria, the 12-place slide in the rankings reflects the broader economic pressures the country continues to face, even as it remains the continent's largest economy by total output.
Source: Getty Images
Oyedele explains why many Nigerians are poor
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Nigeria's Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele pushed back on the World Bank's position that poverty worsened because the reforms failed.
Oyedele said the removal of fuel subsidies and other policy changes were designed to reset Nigeria's fiscal position after years of distortions.
The minister pointed to nearly 10% real per capita income growth in dollar terms in 2025 as evidence that the reforms are working.
Source: Legit.ng
