I just reviewed a 2025 ranking of the poorest countries in the world, and it’s quite shocking. South Sudan leads with just $251 per capita, followed by Yemen at $417 and Burundi at $490. Almost all the poor countries on this list are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, with some cases in Asia like Myanmar ($1,177) and Nepal ($1,458).

What stands out most is the huge gap between these territories and the rest of the world. DRC, Somalia, Nigeria... most of the poorest are in conflict or experiencing severe economic crises. Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar also appear in the top spots. It’s a reminder that while some countries are growing, entire regions are stagnating.

If we look toward the end of the list of poor countries, we find India at $2,878, Cambodia at $2,870, and Haiti at $2,672. Even these are well below the global average. It really puts these figures into perspective when seen together.