Poorest countries in the world 2023 – ranked

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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 is still ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite recently plunging into a civil war which left hundreds of thousands of people dead, the latest data from the World Bank shows that Ethiopia currently ranks 25th.

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 2021 data unless stated otherwise.

RankCountryInternational $
1Burundi774.5
2Central African Republic920.1
3DR Congo1,179.50
4South Sudan**1,181.90
5Somalia1,248.80
6Niger1,303.60
7Mozambique1,347.70
8Liberia1,563.60
9Chad1,566.00
10Madagascar1,607.90
11Eritrea****1,628.80
12Malawi1,638.20
13Afghanistan1,665.80
14Sierra Leone1,773.90
15Guinea-Bissau2,011.90
16Kiribati2,128.10
17The Gambia2,281.30
18Zimbabwe2,323.70
19Mali2,329.70
20Togo2,334.30
21Burkina Faso2,394.70
22Rwanda2,459.70
23Uganda2,467.90
24Lesotho2,521.50
25Ethiopia2,547.70
26Solomon Islands2,648.70
27Tanzania2,836.20
28Guinea2,900.70
29Vanuatu3,057.40
30Haiti3,153.10
31Yemen***3,437.40
32Comoros3,546.80
33Congo3,553.30
34Zambia3,555.90
35Micronesia3,642.10
36Benin3,649.00
37Senegal3,840.00
38Papua New Guinea4,040.00
39Cameroon4,065.30
40Sudan4,066.00
41Nepal4,209.80
42Tajikistan4,288.20
43Myanmar4,430.20
44Sao Tome & Principe4,451.60
45Cambodia4,783.90
46Kenya5,211.20
47Kyrgyzstan5,289.70
48Djibouti5,397.70
49Nigeria5,408.00
50Tuvalu5,409.50
51Timor-Leste5,528.60
52Pakistan5,748.00
53Mauritania5,830.80
54Cote d’Ivoire5,850.10
55Ghana5,971.10
56Samoa6,079.80
57Honduras6,121.60
58Nicaragua6,194.70
59West Bank & Gaza6,199.50
60Angola6,491.10
61Bangladesh6,493.80
62Marshall Islands6,549.60
63Cabo Verde6,717.00
64Tonga6,748.50
65India7,242.00
66Uzbekistan8,497.40
67Lao PDR8,620.60
68Bolivia8,846.10
69Morocco8,852.90
70Philippines8,892.80
71Belize9,626.60
72Eswatini9,730.10
73Guatemala9,806.80
74Iraq9,846.00
75El Salvador9,981.90
76Namibia10,038.70
77Jordan10,132.50
78Jamaica10,542.70
79Tunisia11,282.50
80Fiji11,380.60
81Vietnam11,676.10
82Ecuador11,720.60
83Dominica11,950.60
84Bhutan11,983.30
85Algeria12,128.30
86Egypt12,706.40
87Mongolia12,818.90
88Indonesia13,027.30
89Kosovo13,055.90
90Nauru13,125.30
91Peru13,748.50
92Ukraine14,219.80
93Lebanon14,256.70
94St. Lucia14,332.20
95South Africa14,624.40
96Sri Lanka14,706.50
97Paraguay15,037.20
98Grenada15,037.80
99St. Vincent & Gren15,045.30
100Barbados15,111.00
101Palau15,144.60
102Gabon15,175.70
103Moldova15,390.50
104Armenia15,592.50
105Turkmenistan*15,625.40
106Albania15,709.30
107Azerbaijan15,854.60
108Brazil16,031.10
109Equatorial Guinea16,080.10
110Suriname16,222.70
111Botswana16,304.20
112Iran16,484.10
113Colombia16,819.20
114Georgia17,013.60
115Bosnia & Herz17,376.60
116Venezuela****17,402.30
117North Macedonia18,222.30
118Thailand18,760.80
119China19,338.20
120Mexico20,277.20
121Turks & Caicos20,337.70
122Dominican Rep20,462.50
123Maldives20,615.40
124Antigua & Barbuda21,010.00
125Serbia21,503.40
126Belarus21,698.60
127Curacao22,832.20
128Mauritius23,035.30
129Montenegro23,284.60
130Costa Rica23,319.50
131Argentina23,649.70
132Guyana24,086.90
133Libya24,130.80
134Uruguay25,048.70
135Trinidad & Tobago25,308.50
136Bulgaria27,926.10
137Chile28,684.80
138Kazakhstan28,684.90
139Malaysia28,929.50
140St. Kitts & Nevis29,097.20
141Turkiye30,737.00
142Greece31,363.80
143Seychelles31,596.20
144Panama31,900.90
145Russia32,862.60
146Slovak Rep33,010.30
147Bahamas33,188.70
148Croatia34,314.00
149Latvia34,444.30
150Portugal35,798.80
151Puerto Rico35,850.30
152Romania35,869.60
153Sint Maarten35,973.20
154Hungary36,752.50
155Oman37,676.10
156Poland37,836.80
157Spain40,698.70
158Estonia42,138.30
159Lithuania42,581.30
160Aruba42,698.40
161Japan42,940.40
162Slovenia43,602.50
163Israel43,721.60
164Cyprus44,109.70
165Czechia45,093.70
166Italy45,902.20
167Kuwait46,328.10
168New Zealand46,419.50
169South Korea47,242.50
170Malta48,581.50
171Saudi Arabia48,710.90
172UK49,675.30
173France50,541.30
174Canada52,085.00
175Bahrain54,256.80
176Finland55,013.40
177Australia56,281.40
178Iceland57,611.60
179Germany57,881.10
180Austria58,430.60
181Belgium58,905.20
182Sweden59,324.00
183San Marino*59,451.00
184Netherlands63,768.20
185Denmark64,651.20
186Hong Kong SAR65,891.70
187Brunei66,055.20
188USA69,287.50
189Macao SAR71,185.70
190Cayman Islands74,155.30
191UAE76,609.20
192Switzerland77,273.60
193Norway79,201.20
194Bermuda88,185.50
195Qatar102,018.10
196Ireland106,351.40
197Singapore116,486.50
198Luxembourg134,544.50

* 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 01/11/22.

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Lead image: World Bank

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