I looked at the GDP per capita statistics for 2025 and am amazed at the scale of inequality. The poorest countries in the world are mostly concentrated in Africa and partly in Asia. South Sudan tops the list with just $251 per person, followed by Yemen with $417. This is simply incomparable to developed economies.

Interestingly, the poorest countries often face the same problems: instability, conflicts, weak infrastructure. Burundi ($490), Central African Republic ($532), Malawi ($580), and Madagascar ($595) are literally surviving with minimal resources. Even Nigeria, despite its oil wealth, shows $807 per person.

When looking at Asian economies, the situation is slightly better but still critical. Tajikistan ($1,432), Nepal ($1,458), East Timor ($1,491) are also the poorest countries in their regions. India ranks last with $2,878, but this is still an extremely low figure for a country with over a billion people.

What surprised me is that these poorest countries often have a young population, but the economic base simply cannot provide them with normal living conditions. This is a challenge not only for the states themselves but also for the global economic system as a whole.