Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

African and Middle Eastern countries remain world's poorest, IMF data shows

In 28 countries, people live on less than £750 per year

Will Martin
Friday 01 June 2018 17:21 EDT
Comments
Sierra Leone was ranked the tenth poorest country, according to the IMF data
Sierra Leone was ranked the tenth poorest country, according to the IMF data (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

African and Middle Eastern countries ravaged by war and famine remain the poorest in the world, according to data published by the International Monetary Fund.

Twice a year the IMF releases a huge dump of data about the economic power of the world's nations, with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita a key statistic.

The IMF ranks the world's countries according to purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita.

The PPP takes into account the relative cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries to compare living standards among the different nations.

Most of the countries populating the top of this ranking are under authoritarian regimes where corruption is rampant. This a big deterrent to foreign investors, even if some of those countries have huge amounts of natural resources.

We've included all the countries with a GDP per capita is below $1,000 per year.

28. Sudan -- GDP per capita: $992

27. Benin -- $966

26. Chad -- $919

25. Nepal -- $918

24. Mali -- $917

23. Guinea-Bissau -- $910

22. Ethiopia -- $909

21. Comoros -- $869

20. Tajikistan -- $848

19. Haiti -- $847

18. Rwanda -- $819

17. Guinea -- $816

16. Burkina Faso -- $750

15. Liberia -- $722

14. Uganda -- $711

13. Togo -- $698

12. Afghanistan -- $601

11. Niger -- $510

10. Sierra Leone -- $505

9. The Gambia -- $500

8. Madagascar -- $479

7. Democratic Republic of Congo -- $477

6. Mozambique -- $472

5. Yemen -- $449

4. Central African Republic -- $425

3. Malawi -- $342

2. Burundi -- $339

1. South Sudan -- $246

Read more:

• Fifteen sentences your interviewer does not want to hear
• I flew 16 hours nonstop on one of the world's busiest international routes in economy class — here's what it was like
• 16 skills that are hard to learn but will pay off forever

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2018. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in