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The updated list of the ten poorest nations in the world.

With such fragile economies; an election, a storm, a change of internal policy, or even a perception of corruption, will have these nations careening up or down the list. Since first publication of this article,
there has been a change in the rankings an inclusion of nations.

This list was compiled in December 2009,  using data from various sources.

   1.      Democratic Republic of Congo

      Once known as the Belgian Congo, Zaire, and now the Democratic Republic, this huge resource
rich nation holds the position of poorest country in the World.

      It has been embroiled in wars, civil and with other nations, since Independence in 1960.

      During the past two decades of conflict, over 5.4 million people have died and continue to die
at the rate of 45,000 a month. This is not only attributable to war, but its fellow travelers,
disease and famine.

      DR-Congo has diamonds, uranium, cobalt, tantalum, copper, and other valuable minerals. The wars, besides being caused by ethnic hatred, are inspired by control of the nation’s wealth.

      The smuggling of coltan and cassiterite, the ores of tantalum and tin have fueled the war
in the Eastern Congo.

      As a kleptocracy, whatever can be appropriated by the government and its agents,  be it
food aid, donations for health care, equipment; is.

      Despite having more resources than most places in the world, two thirds of the population
is malnourished. Hunger has provoked a market in ‘bushmeat’, that is, the meat of wild animals,
often chimpanzees and gorillas.

   2.      Zimbabwe

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          The poverty of Zimbabwe is not due to a dearth of resources but to gross mismanagement, corruption, and a destructive economic policy which saw previously productive farms taken from white owners and distributed to ‘War Veterans’.

      The country can no longer feed itself. There is a serious food crisis in a nation that was once the ‘breadbasket’ of Africa.

      Where life expectancy improves in other places, in Zimbabwe it has declined from 60 to 37 years for males, 34 years for females, the lowest in the world.

      1.8 Million Zimbabweans live with HIV and receive no treatment as the health system has collapsed. There was a major cholera outbreak in December 2008, the number of cases reaching 89,018.

      Inflation is the highest in the world and now stands at 231,000,000%. Prices double every 1.3 days.

      Zimbabwe actually printed a hundred billion dollar bank note.

      80% of the population is unemployed.

      Corruption is so blatant that money contributed for humanitarian projects is regularly confiscated by the Government for its private usage.

      Due to the complete lack of interest by the government and the hunger of its people 60% of Zimbabwe’s wildlife has died since 2000.

   3. Burundi

Burundi has the lowest per capita GDP as well as a  low gross domestic product. This is attributed to civil wars, corruption, poor access to education, and the effects of HIV/AIDS.

Although the Birth rate is high, life expectancy is estimated at 48.5 years.

Approximately 80% of Burundi’s population lives in poverty. Famines and food shortages are common and  56.8% of children under age five suffer from chronic malnutrition.

In one study, Burundi’s population was found to  have the lowest satisfaction with life in the world

Burundi is a landlocked country with a weak legal structure. It is densely populated despite substantial emigration. Cobalt and copper are among Burundi’s natural resources. Some of Burundi’s main exports include coffee and sugar.

4.      Liberia

      Having gone through a terrible civil war, political unrest, and finally reaching a level of peace, the economy of Liberia needs to be rebuilt. It has moved ‘back’ one place and is now the fourth poorest nation in the world.

      A ban on Liberian ‘blood’ diamonds was lifted in 2007 and a new contract for the export of iron ore was signed.

      However, Liberia is still dependent on Foreign Aid and has an unemployment rate of approximately 85%. It’s external debt is 3.5 billion while its GDP is 2.5 billion.

      Life expectancy is 42.5 years and it has the highest population growth in the world at 4.50%.

      Currently, Liberia’s revenues come primarily from rubber exports and revenues from its maritime registry program, earning some $16 million in the years 2007/2008.

      There is increasing interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia’s Atlantic Coast.

   5.      Guinea-Bissau

      Guinea-Bissau has risen from number 4 to 5. Its economy depends on farming and fishing. It exports fish, seafood, peanuts, palm kernels and timber.

      In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP provided $107 million emergency budgetary support to help the country’s economic development. This money has not been wisely used.

      There are 1.4 million people, with a life expectancy at birth being 45 years (male), 48 years (female). The adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS is about 10%

   6. Eritrea 

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

The economy is  based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding

Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea’s economy depends heavily on taxes paid by members of the diaspora.  Eritrea’s recent harvests have been unable to meet the food needs of the country.

7.      Somalia 

      Somalia has not had a central government since 1991. There are various warlords with regional authority but no actual government.

      Foreign investment, however, does exist, and there are western factories currently turning a profit. Without a central government, money flows into private pockets.

      Somalia, without infrastructure, proper health care, public water or electricity, still manages to maintain property rights, provide its city-dwellers with a cheap mobile phone network and internet coverage, keep open several DHL offices and has a Coca Cola bottling plant.

      The cheapest international calls in the world can be made from a Sim card bought in Mogadishu, though the legality of the connection may be questionable. Business is the glue that holds Somali society together.

8.      Niger 

      Niger has moved from the sad 1st position to the 8th. Things have not improved for this nation as much as  deteriorated for the other seven.

      Niger is a landlocked country bordered by Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali and Nigeria.

      There is often drought and severe food crisis. 63% live on less than $1 (US) a day.

      Less than 15% of adults are literate and life expectancy is 46 years. Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS is 1.2%, but this is just one of a number of infectious diseases.

      Many people die of diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria and meningococcal meningitis.

      Slavery was outlawed in 2003 although there are reports that 43,000 people remain in bondage.

      Currently, members of the previous regime, which resigned in 2007, are under investigation for embezzling funds from the education ministry.

9.  Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is the second lowest ranked country on the Human Development Index and seventh lowest on the Human Poverty Index. It is an extremely corrupt nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, so ought not be on this list, the corruption and abuse of its citizens creates the poverty. Over 70% of its citizens live below the poverty line.

Sierra Leone is the home of ‘blood diamonds’.

10. Central African Republic 

      The Central African Republic has maintained its position as 10th.

      The agricultural sector generates more than half of the country’s GDP. Due to its landlocked position, poor transport, unskilled work force, and a history of misdirected economic policies, CAR has been unable to develop economically.

      There are 4.3 million people, with a life expectancy at birth of 43.46 years (male), 43.62 years (female). HIV/AIDS effects 13.5% of the population.