It's interesting to look at the statistics of the world's poorest countries by GDP per capita. According to data from 2025, the picture is quite grim — South Sudan tops the list with just $251, followed by Yemen ($417) and Burundi ($490). Overall, the African continent dominates this ranking.

Most of the poorest countries are located in Africa: Central African Republic, Malawi, Madagascar, Sudan, Mozambique. DRC, Niger, and Somalia are also among the leaders in poverty. Interestingly, Nigeria, despite its oil resources, shows $807 per capita. From Asia, the top-50 includes Tajikistan ($1,432), Nepal ($1,458), East Timor ($1,491), Laos ($2,096), and Cambodia ($2,870).

Speaking of the bottom of the list, India has $2,878 — still very modest figures for such a large economy. It turns out that the poorest countries are mainly developing nations in Africa and Asia, where the standard of living remains critically low.