The Poorest Countries in the World. Top 10

Today we would like to take a look at the world where people live below the poverty line. This is much harder and scarier than it seems at first glance.

[adrotate group=”1″]The poorest countries in the world have a very low level of GDP per capita. In most cases, the citizens of these countries continuously suffer from multiple epidemics and military conflicts. UN experts were compiled a rating of the poorest countries of the regions, the state of poverty is determined there by the following criteria:

• GDP per capita is less than 750$ per year;
• literate population is less than 20% of the total population;
• the number of manufacturing enterprises is less than 10%.

A very low level of development of the socio-economic sphere, with a high demographic growth and the high dependence of the economy on agriculture combine all these countries.

The poorest countries in Africa

1st place – Central African Republic

This country is considered to be the poorest country not only in Africa but around the world. GDP is equal to 542 dollars, in spite of the abundant natural resources such as gold, diamonds, oil and timber.

Each year the Central African Republic receives income from exports of forest resources, diamonds and agricultural products, but even this fact does not allow the country to live well. State constantly survives on external financial assistance.

The problem of this country is current armed conflicts, as well as the existence of various criminal groups and high-level corruption. All these facts pull the state to the bottom, not allowing the economy to develop normally. A large percentage of people suffer from hunger, only 48% of the population was educated. More than 6% of the population is infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

[adrotate group=”2″]Life expectancy for women is equal to 51, the men – 48 years, despite the fact that the total number of population is about 5 million.

2nd place – Burundi

This state is constantly shaken by military conflicts that hinder the economic development of the country, GDP there is 642 dollars per person. Burundi has a population of over 11 million, most of it suffers from hunger and people lead a life in poverty. Adults and children have a shortage of body weight. In the country there is an acute shortage of medicines and medical staff what often causes epidemics such as cholera and meningitis.

In these outbreaks of disease and lack of medicines a lot of patients die. One of the poorest countries in Africa has the only institution of higher education, but more than half the population is not educated at all.

More than half of the country is taken by arable land and 36% of these areas are reserved for grazing, the main exports are coffee and tea. Local residents are mainly engaged in the processing of land, the industry is almost not developed. There is no rail connection, there are practically no paved roads.

3rd place – Democratic Republic of Congo

The third position in the rating of the poorest countries takes the Democratic Republic of the Congo. GDP there is 648 dollars, and the population reaches more than 72 million people. The state is located on the African continent. Until 1960 the Republic of the Congo was considered as a Belgian colony.

[adrotate group=”3″]The country’s economy is specialized in the cultivation of corn, bananas, coffee, a variety of root crops, though, the development of animal husbandry is very weak. However, Congo is rich with diamond, oil, copper. Cobalt supplies are the largest in the world there. But even this does not give the country a possibility to get out of poverty.

The reason of it lies in the recurring civil war clashes, it has a negative impact on the entire economy of the country. There are more than 70% of the population who lives from hand to mouth, and the negative reputation of the Congo is created by the presence of tribes of cannibals. Many survive by eating their fellow tribesmen.

4th place – Liberia

Liberia is considered as a former US colony. Population reaches 4.731 million people, GDP is equal to 703 dollars per person. The state was founded by liberated from the slavery of the Negro population people. But the civil wars, which have been lasting about 10 years, took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and nearly destroyed the entire economy of the state.

In most parts of Liberia forests are growing. There are also some precious woods. Favorable climatic conditions create all preconditions for tourism development. However, in the state of high levels of corruption and unemployment, 90% of the population can spend only 1.3 $ a day, despite the fact that earlier the country exported diamonds, timber, coffee.

5th place – Eritrea

The country is located on the Red Sea coast, its population reaches 6, 743 million people, GDP per person is 707 dollars. Eritrea had been a colony of Italy for a long time, then in the middle of the 20th century the country joined Ethiopia but it gained independence in 1993.

The war for independence lasted there for more than 30 years, the subsequent outbreak of armed clashes have undermined the country’s economy completely. The state could easily compete with Greece and Egypt in the field of tourism, there is a beautiful underwater world of the Red Sea, unique nature. There are also lots of architectural and historical monuments and city catacombs.

Unfortunately, the civil war has destroyed a large number of commemorative heritage. Almost 80% of the population is engaged in agriculture and fishing. The country has a deficit of clean drinking water that provokes the appearance of various intestinal diseases. Another problem is the country’s low literacy, only 60% of the population can read and write.

6th place – Burundi

The country’s population is 10 million people, GDP is 770 dollars a year. We can say that since 1994 the state has been developing weak because of the civil wars.  Many people in the country live below the poverty line. There is a high level of corruption. [adrotate group=”4″]

7th place – Malawi

The country’s population is about 16.6 million people with a GDP per capita of 790 dollars. Malawi survives with the help of foreign aid, many local people live hand to mouth because of the high level of corruption in the country.

8th place – Niger

Niger is inhabited by 19 million people, GDP per capita reached 920 dollars a year. The population of Niger are struggling to make ends meet, the political instability in the country has led to a significant underdevelopment of economy. The country has a low level of literacy, only 15.5% of the population are educated.

9th place – Guinea

12 millions of people live there. GDP per capita is 1 120 USD. Guinea has 2/3 of the world’s bauxite reserves, along with this country is rich with iron ore, gold, diamonds. But there is no stable political control, while the rights of property are significantly limited. That makes the locals to survive every day.

10th place – Mozambique

The population in Mozambique is 27 million people, and GDP per capita is 1 140 dollars. In 1992 the military conflicts stopped shaking the country but state can’t escape from the poverty so far. Statistics shows that 55% of the population lives below the poverty line, which is considered to be rather high in the world.

A country with low economic level has not modern medicine, many people suffer from mosquitoes. Annually in the country 35% of children die from malaria.The overall mortality rate of 29% is a common indicator in Mozambique.

The poorest countries in Asia

 [adrotate group=”5″]The rating of the poorest countries in Asia includes:

East Timor – 1, 3 million people, GDP – US $ 535 per person;

Afghanistan – 31 million people, GDP – $ 687 per person;

Nepal – 30.4 million people, GDP – 694 dollars per capita;

Bangladesh – 164 million people, GDP -750 dollars for one person.

 The poorest countries in Europe

The poorest European countries are the following:

Belarus – 9.5 million people, GDP – less than $ 7,000 per capita;

Ukraine – 42.6 million people GDP- 2979 dollars per person;

Moldova – 2.9 million people, VVP- 2 038 dollars per capita.

 The poorest EU country

These are the following states:

Bulgaria – 7 million people, GDP – 7242 dollars per person,

Romania – 19.9 million people, GDP – 8910 dollars per person;

Montenegro – 621 000 people, of GDP – 7026 dollars per capita;

Serbia – 7 million people, GDP – 5997 dollars per capita;

Macedonia – 2 million people, GDP – 4944 dollars per person.

 Conclusion

Most of the countries with low economic development can be united by one thing – the main part of the population tries to survive or even worse  – to stay alive tomorrow morning. The inhabitants of the poorest countries in Africa spend for living only 1 dollar every day. The reasons can be the ongoing wars, the inability to properly manage the country, high level of corruption, the low level of literacy of the population.