Poorest Countries in Africa
The fifteen African countries with the lowest nominal GDP per capita.
| Rank | Country | GDP per capita | GDP (nominal) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burundi | $250 | $3.3B | East Africa |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | $465 | $4.0B | West Africa |
| 3 | Central African Republic | $491 | $2.7B | Central Africa |
| 4 | Somalia | $511 | $9.0B | East Africa |
| 5 | South Sudan | $518 | $5.7B | East Africa |
| 6 | Madagascar | $551 | $16.7B | East Africa |
| 7 | Malawi | $632 | $13.2B | Southern Africa |
| 8 | Niger | $634 | $16.6B | West Africa |
| 9 | Mozambique | $646 | $21.9B | Southern Africa |
| 10 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | $660 | $67.5B | Central Africa |
| 11 | Eritrea | $703 | $2.6B | East Africa |
| 12 | Gambia | $778 | $2.1B | West Africa |
| 13 | Liberia | $796 | $4.3B | West Africa |
| 14 | Burkina Faso | $871 | $20.3B | West Africa |
| 15 | Mali | $903 | $20.4B | West Africa |
Africa's Development Challenges
Many of Africa's lower-income countries face shared challenges: conflict, landlocked geography, climate vulnerability and historic underinvestment in infrastructure. Yet several — Rwanda is one example — have shown that strong governance and targeted investment can drive sustained growth.
The ranking below uses nominal GDP per capita; purchasing power parity (PPP) figures would differ.