In this article, we will be taking a look at the 30 worst countries in the world to live in. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 worst countries in the world to live in.
Even though the world has made significant advancements and the standards of living globally have increased substantially over time, this improvement has not been distributed equally among different nations, as evidenced by the worst countries in the world to live. While there may still be some advanced nations in the world, the vast majority of the global population resides in developing economies, and many such countries are still struggling to provide basic necessities including infrastructure, opportunities and even safety.
Many of the worst countries in the world are located in Africa, which gives credence to racists who believe that other races are inferior in intellect, and hence, unable to improve their situation. Of course, the truth is always more nuanced; history has shown how various European nations colonized many countries in Africa and in Asia, looting valuables for centuries, something from which such economies are still recovering. For example, India is the country with the highest number of emigrants in the world. However, several centuries ago, India was a very prosperous nation, only for the British to take over the region after initially arriving for trade, and subjugating the local population for centuries until its independence in 1947. The resulting three countries in the next few decades, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, despite strides made by them in recent years, especially in India, are still not even close to being as prosperous as they were centuries ago. Hence, it is also not surprising that all three countries feature among the nations with the biggest number of emigrants in the world, and have been in that list for decades.
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In fact, it is because of these economic setbacks that many countries face which result in the educated population trying to escape for better opportunities. The reasons may vary; in many countries, residents are forced to evacuate as a result of repeated violence and war, whether internal or external, as seen in countries such as Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, with the latter also considered to be the most dangerous country in the world. On the other hand, people from other countries such as India, Pakistan, South Korea and other developing nations go for better earning opportunities and to enjoy a higher standard of living, not to mention better access to public facilities and infrastructure.
Separately, there are regions which are incredibly prosperous with several countries in Europe and the Middle East among the nations with the highest GDP per capita, with the former’s riches as a result of industrialization (including the largest economies in Europe) and subsequent economic prosperity while the latter’s wealth mainly comes from massive fossil fuel deposits. However, it is important to remember that Europe is home to 44 countries, and not all of them enjoy very high standards of living. In fact, Belarus and Ukraine are currently considered to be among the worst countries to live in Europe, not least because of Russia’s war with Ukraine which has resulted in massive destruction and Belarus being ruled by a person basically considered to be a dictator and facing huge sanctions from the West for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
All of this raises the question of whether it’s worth it to invest in the worst countries in the world. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Let’s go back to India for a moment. It may have the highest number of emigrants in the world, but it isn’t among the worst countries in the world, considering our metrics. It is also demonstrating consistently high economic growth, and has incredibly competitive educations institutions and universities, resulting in a high number of highly qualified candidates. Because of this, many of the top companies in the world, have manufacturing facilities in India, which allows for lower production costs, some of which include BMW, Volkswagen and Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG), while it is also home to major IT hubs. All of these reasons make it alluring to invest in Indian ETFs such as iShares MSCI India ETF (CBOEUS:INDA), which has a return of nearly 5% YTD. On the other hand, there is also a risk when investing in a developing economy because things can go south fast too. A huge blow to India recently has been Foxconn withdrawing from a semiconductor joint venture in India worth $19.5 billion, even as Indian Prime Minister Modi has focused on making India a semiconductor making hub.
Similarly, many of the worst countries in the world also have tremendous potential for investment, with many African countries in particular being home to vast reserves of natural reserves. This is why there is a good chance of huge growth and some of the fast growing economies in Africa have actually recorded double-digit growth which shows massive potential. However, if you look at some of the worst performing economies in the world, with really low growth rates, you’ll notice several European countries in the list. This is because advanced economies are generally stable and yearly growth is low, and hence expectation of return, while relatively much safer, is also quite limited. Of course, there is a much greater risk investing in the worst countries in the world where a lack of infrastructure and corruption can often derail a nation’s economy without any warning, especially nations engaged in internal or external wars. Despite this, the motivation of earning huge returns results in significant FDI in such countries, as evidenced by a study by David Maher from the University of Salford, using Colombia as a case study.
Methodology
To determine the worst countries in the world to live in, we first considered our ranking of the poorest countries in the world, countries with the highest emigration rates, countries with the lowest life expectancy and the most dangerous countries in the world. We then used the average ranking of all these articles to calculate a score for each country to determine the worst nations in the world right now, ranking from highest score to lowest. Of course, with the right decisions for the future, many of them could potentially improve their economics situation as well as standard of living, and move out of our list.
30. Malawi
Poorest countries ranking: 12
Life expectancy ranking: 33
Emigration rate ranking: 131
Dangerous countries ranking: 92
A large percentage of Malawi’s population lives in extreme poverty while an average life expectancy of just under 63 years indicates a lack of access to healthcare.
29. Gambia
Poorest countries ranking: 6
Life expectancy ranking: 29
Emigration rate ranking: 161
Dangerous countries ranking: 70
Gambia is easily among the poorest countries in the world but low emigration rates have allowed it to be ranked much higher among the worst countries globally.
28. Liberia
Poorest countries ranking: 7
Life expectancy ranking: 21
Emigration rate ranking: 113
Dangerous countries ranking: 119
Liberia relies heavily on foreign investment and assistance, and a healthy GDP growth rate of around 5% each in 2021 and 2022 indicate that it may be an investable country.
27. Tanzania
Poorest countries ranking: 35
Life expectancy ranking: 53
Emigration rate ranking: 123
Dangerous countries ranking: 35
While Tanzania isn’t in the bottom 30 in any one criterion, consistently low ranking in all criteria has condemned it to our list.
26. Tajikistan
Poorest countries ranking: 18
Life expectancy ranking: 81
Emigration rate ranking: 92
Dangerous countries ranking: 55
One of the poorest countries not in Africa, Tajikistan is known for government corruption while historic civil unrest has also impacted its ability to improve economically.
25. Kyrgyz Republic
Poorest countries ranking: 23
Life expectancy ranking: 70
Emigration rate ranking: 84
Dangerous countries ranking: 53
Kyrgyz Republic saw a steep decline in its economy of 8.4% in 2020 after being badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic but has since recovered pretty well, with a GDP growth rate of 6.2% in 2021 and 7% in 2022.
24. Rwanda
Poorest countries ranking: 17
Life expectancy ranking: 54
Emigration rate ranking: 83
Dangerous countries ranking: 76
Even though Rwanda has done brilliantly to recover from the Rwandan genocide just three decades ago, poverty is still a major issue in the country, while it has also been considered among the repressive nations in Africa.
23. Benin
Poorest countries ranking: 31
Life expectancy ranking: 16
Emigration rate ranking: 104
Dangerous countries ranking: 76
Despite having a relatively stable economy especially in the last two decades, Benin is still among the worst countries in the world.
22. Nepal
Poorest countries ranking: 33
Life expectancy ranking: 66
Emigration rate ranking: 33
Dangerous countries ranking: 85
Despite selling permits to willing tourists for tens of thousands of dollars to climb the Mount Everest, Nepal is still among the poorest countries in the world. Nepal has still posted healthy growth rates of 4.8% and 5.6% in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
21. Zimbabwe
Poorest countries ranking: 49
Life expectancy ranking: 14
Emigration rate ranking: 86
Dangerous countries ranking: 66
Zimbabwe’s economy contracted by 7.8% in 2020, one of the worst economic performances in Africa after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but rebounded by over 8% the following year.
20. Guinea
Poorest countries ranking: 27
Life expectancy ranking: 10
Emigration rate ranking: 109
Dangerous countries ranking: 64
Guinea was one of the few African countries which showed a healthy growth rate of 4.9% in 2020 despite the pandemic even as most countries in the continent, and across the world, saw their economies contract.
19. Lesotho
Poorest countries ranking: 10
Life expectancy ranking: 3
Emigration rate ranking: 133
Dangerous countries ranking: 46
Political instability and a lack of economic development have hampered Lesotho ever since its independence, and low economic growth rates have continued for decades now, making it one of the worst countries in the world.
18. Uganda
Poorest countries ranking: 30
Life expectancy ranking: 32
Emigration rate ranking: 89
Dangerous countries ranking: 32
Uganda has seen its economy remain relatively stable at least in the past three decades, but is still classified among the worst countries in the world, mainly due to high poverty levels and a life expectancy of just under 63 years.
17. Haiti
Poorest countries ranking: 47
Life expectancy ranking: 35
Emigration rate ranking: 50
Dangerous countries ranking: 45
Considered to be among the most dangerous countries in the world, Haiti was also impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with its economy continuing to contract every year since.
16. Togo
Poorest countries ranking: 19
Life expectancy ranking: 22
Emigration rate ranking: 112
Dangerous countries ranking: 22
High levels of poverty and low levels of economic growth have ensured a lack of progress for Togo, though its economic growth of over 6% in 2022 indicates potentially a better future for the nation.
15. Niger
Poorest countries ranking: 16
Life expectancy ranking: 23
Emigration rate ranking: 120
Dangerous countries ranking: 12
Niger had one of the highest GDP growth rates in 2022, recording an 11.5% growth rate in 2022. However, the country’s military recently pulled off a coup while Europe and the U.S. support the deposed President, which is likely to negatively impact its economy.
14. Ethiopia
Poorest countries ranking: 40
Life expectancy ranking: 45
Emigration rate ranking: 65
Dangerous countries ranking: 19
Ethiopia has been in the midst of a severe civil war in its Tigray region, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, not to mention billions in damages. However, Ethiopia has still seen its GDP grow by more than 5% in each of the past 19 years.
13. Sudan
Poorest countries ranking: 26
Life expectancy ranking: 47
Emigration rate ranking: 43
Dangerous countries ranking: 44
Sudan is still home to ongoing atrocities, with the Human Rights Watch urging the U.S. to step in. This has reflected in the country’s economy too, with GDP contracting every year since 2018.
12. Burundi
Poorest countries ranking: 1
Life expectancy ranking: 25
Emigration rate ranking: 99
Dangerous countries ranking: 28
Burundi’s economy has been struggling for a while, with the nation particularly impacted by the 2015 – 2018 unrest.
11. Chad
Poorest countries ranking: 14
Life expectancy ranking: 1
Emigration rate ranking: 129
Dangerous countries ranking: 8
Chad was one of the worst affected African nations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a lack of implementation of rule of law and poor infrastructure not helping things.
10. Syria
Poorest countries ranking: 8
Life expectancy ranking: 104
Emigration rate ranking: 18
Dangerous countries ranking: 17
Syria has the highest number of refugees in the world as it is home to a proxy war being fought between economic giants, and Syria’s economy has nosedived since, and in the last decade, its economy has contracted in most years.
9. Yemen
Poorest countries ranking: 21
Life expectancy ranking: 41
Emigration rate ranking: 74
Dangerous countries ranking: 9
Yemen, like some other nations among the worst countries in the world, is home to one of the biggest humanitarian crises, with its economy struggling since 2011.
8. Central African Republic
Poorest countries ranking: 2
Life expectancy ranking: 4
Emigration rate ranking: 118
Dangerous countries ranking: 13
While some of the worst countries in the world also provide a change for significant returns, Central African Republic is unlikely to be one of these countries in the last few years, with its economy contracting by 36.4% in 2013 and has grown by less than 1% in the last two years.
7. Myanmar
Poorest countries ranking: 41
Life expectancy ranking: 50
Emigration rate ranking: 26
Dangerous countries ranking: 14
Myanmar is one of the countries with the highest refugees in the U.S., and the country is going from bad to worse after the military carried out a coup and has been committing atrocities unimpeded ever since. This also led to Myanmar’s economy contracting by a massive 17.9% in 2021.
6. Mozambique
Poorest countries ranking: 13
Life expectancy ranking: 15
Emigration rate ranking: 59
Dangerous countries ranking: 26
Mozambique saw its economy contract in 2020 amid the pandemic, cementing its position among the worst countries in the world. However, the security situation has continued to deteriorate in 2021 and 2022 because of violence in its Cabo Delgado province. A growth rate of 4.1% during 2022 may indicate some positive potential in the nation, but for it to be a good proposition for foreign direct investment, the security situation needs to improve dramatically.
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Disclosure: None. 30 worst countries in the world is originally published on Insider Monkey.
