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Poorest countries in the world – ranked

By wazup on Comments Closed / 131 views
Poorest countries in the world – ranked

African nations dominate the ranking of the poorest countries in the world based on the latest data from the World Bank

We all have preconceptions about places. Take Ethiopia for example. As children of the eighties, Kia and I were only too aware of the struggles Ethiopia has faced historically: political unrest, civil war and, of course, famine.

It was easy then to imagine a vast desolate dust bowl ahead of our visit in 2017. 

Ethiopia is perceived by many as a representation of wider Africa: still developing, still struggling. In reality, it is a land of lush mountains, dazzling architecture and jaw-dropping natural wonders.

There is poverty, but there is also hope.

Our visit prompted us to ask if Ethiopia still ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Data from the World Bank shows that it ranks at number 23.

Which is the world’s poorest country?

Burundi is the world’s poorest country followed by Central African Republic, DR Congo, South Sudan and Somalia as the poorest. The richest countries are Luxembourg, Singapore, Ireland, Qatar and Switzerland.

Soberingly, 19 of the 20 poorest countries are all located in Africa. The first non-African country on the list is Afghanistan, ranked 15th.

The World Bank is able to rank the poorest countries in the world using GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP).

The actual purchasing power of any currency is the quantity of that currency needed to buy a specified unit of a good or a basket of common goods and services. PPP is determined in each country based on its relative cost of living and inflation rates.

Therefore, using GDP PPP, it is possible to compare disparate regions and rank the poorest countries in the world. International dollars are used as a global currency for comparison.

Lalibela in Ethiopia
Atlas & Boots Ethiopia is the world’s 23rd poorest country

Poorest countries in the world

The World Bank does not have sufficient data for a number of countries including Andorra, Cuba, Liechtenstein, Monaco, North Korea and Syria, but otherwise ranks the poorest countries in the world as below, based on 2020 data unless stated otherwise.

Rank Country International $
1 Burundi 771
2 Central African Rep. 988
3 DR Congo 1,142
4 South Sudan** 1,235
5 Somalia 1,246
6 Niger 1,288
7 Mozambique 1,297
8 Liberia 1,468
9 Madagascar 1,544
10 Malawi 1,592
11 Chad 1,602
12 Eritrea**** 1,626
13 Sierra Leone 1,727
14 Guinea-Bissau 1,949
15 Afghanistan 2,079
16 Rwanda 2,214
17 Togo 2,223
18 Burkina Faso 2,274
19 Gambia, The 2,275
20 Uganda 2,294
21 Mali 2,348
22 Kiribati 2,383
23 Ethiopia 2,423
24 Lesotho 2,444
25 Solomon Islands 2,619
26 Tanzania 2,780
27 Guinea 2,817
28 Vanuatu 3,011
29 Haiti 3,095
30 Comoros 3,153
31 Zambia 3,458
32 Senegal 3,503
33 Benin 3,505
34 Zimbabwe 3,537
35 Micronesia 3,553
36 Congo 3,622
37 Yemen*** 3,689
38 Tajikistan 3,858
39 Cameroon 3,868
40 Nepal 4,009
41 Timor-Leste 4,141
42 Sudan 4,142
43 Marshall Islands 4,148
44 Sao Tome & Principe 4,274
45 Papua New Guinea 4,287
46 Cambodia 4,421
47 Kenya 4,578
48 Tuvalu 4,653
49 Pakistan 4,813
50 Kyrgyzstan 4,974
51 Myanmar 5,124
52 Bangladesh 5,139
53 Nigeria 5,186
54 Mauritania 5,390
55 Honduras 5,420
56 Cote d’Ivoire 5,466
57 Nicaragua 5,570
58 West Bank & Gaza 5,690
59 Ghana 5,744
60 Djibouti 5,782
61 Cabo Verde 6,377
62 Angola 6,445
63 Belize 6,458
64 India 6,504
65 Tonga 6,695
66 Samoa 6,769
67 Morocco 7,369
68 Uzbekistan 7,734
69 Laos 8,239
70 Bolivia 8,275
71 Philippines 8,390
72 El Salvador 8,420
73 Vietnam 8,650
74 Guatemala 8,854
75 Eswatini 8,866
76 Jamaica 9,242
77 Namibia 9,298
78 Iraq 9,507
79 Jordan 10,355
80 Tunisia 10,823
81 Libya 10,846
82 Dominica 10,853
83 Ecuador 10,896
84 Bhutan 11,130
85 Kosovo 11,294
86 Algeria 11,324
87 Peru 11,879
88 Indonesia 12,073
89 Fiji 12,079
90 Lebanon 12,119
91 Mongolia 12,367
92 Egypt 12,607
93 St. Vincent & Gren. 12,705
94 St. Lucia 12,710
95 Moldova 13,000
96 Ukraine 13,055
97 Paraguay 13,069
98 Sri Lanka 13,225
99 Armenia 13,312
100 Iran 13,338
101 Barbados 13,350
102 South Africa 13,361
103 Albania 13,412
104 Maldives 13,443
105 Nauru 14,340
106 Azerbaijan 14,480
107 Georgia 14,732
108 Brazil 14,835
109 Colombia 14,931
110 Gabon 15,106
111 Grenada 15,283
112 Botswana 15,458
113 Bosnia & Herz. 15,592
114 Turkmenistan* 16,196
115 Palau 16,322
116 Suriname 16,735
117 North Macedonia 16,926
118 China 17,211
119 Venezuela**** 17,528
120 Dominican Rep. 17,936
121 Equatorial Guinea 17,941
122 Thailand 18,233
123 Antigua & Barbuda 18,242
124 Mexico 18,444
125 East Asia & Pacific 18,541
126 Serbia 19,094
127 Guyana 19,705
128 Montenegro 19,990
129 Belarus 20,239
130 Mauritius 20,531
131 Argentina 20,771
132 Curacao 21,423
133 Costa Rica 22,132
134 Turks & Caicos Islands 22,286
135 Uruguay 22,794
136 Bulgaria 24,564
137 Trinidad & Tobago 25,024
138 Chile 25,110
139 St. Kitts & Nevis 25,653
140 Seychelles 25,768
141 Kazakhstan 26,754
142 Panama 26,782
143 Turkey 27,235
144 Malaysia 27,924
145 Greece 27,949
146 Croatia 28,780
147 Russia 29,812
148 Oman 31,120
149 Slovakia 31,356
150 Latvia 31,483
151 Romania 32,099
152 Bahamas, The 32,539
153 Hungary 33,076
154 Portugal 34,177
155 Poland 34,287
156 Puerto Rico 34,337
157 Estonia 37,645
158 Spain 37,756
159 Lithuania 38,881
160 Cyprus 39,373
161 Israel 39,489
162 Slovenia 39,725
163 Czech Rep. 41,608
164 Italy 41,902
165 Japan 42,390
166 Malta 42,461
167 Bahrain 43,756
168 New Zealand 44,491
169 South Korea 45,226
170 UK 46,483
171 Canada 46,572
172 Saudi Arabia 46,760
173 France 46,991
174 Kuwait 47,307
175 Finland 50,517
176 Belgium 53,089
177 Australia 53,317
178 Iceland 53,617
179 Germany 54,845
180 Sweden 55,038
181 Austria 55,686
182 Hong Kong SAR, China 59,234
183 Netherlands 59,267
184 Denmark 60,230
185 Macao SAR, China 60,896
186 Norway 62,645
187 USA 63,207
188 San Marino* 63,420
189 Brunei Darussalam 65,613
190 UAE 66,771
191 Cayman Islands 71,594
192 Switzerland 71,745
193 Bermuda 80,830
194 Qatar 89,969
195 Ireland 93,350
196 Singapore 98,520
197 Luxembourg 117,846

* 2018 data
** 2015 data
*** 2013 data
**** 2011 data

Source: World Development Indicators from the World Bank; GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP); data last updated on 01/06/22.

More rankings and articles can be found in our remote work area:

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► Countries with the best healthcare in the world
► World’s worst countries to drive in
► Happiest countries in the world
► Best countries for women
► Poorest countries in the world – ranked
► World’s most powerful passport
► Countries with the fastest internet in the world
► Most stressed countries in the world
► Most expensive cities for expats
► World’s most democratic countries

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Lead image: Atlas & Boots

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  • June 25, 2022 at 5:56 pm #361405
    wazup
    Keymaster

    African nations dominate the ranking of the poorest countries in the world based on the latest data from the World Bank We all have preconceptions abo
    [See the full post at: Poorest countries in the world – ranked]

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