Would you be shocked to learn that the ten most underdeveloped countries in the world are all located in the same continent? Africa is home to all the nations ranking in our list, which may not be so surprising in the end. After all, the harsh economic conditions in the region are well documented, and the overall lack of basic services in many of its countries is a fact known to many. Nevertheless, we would have liked to see a little more diversity in the list of the most underdeveloped countries in the world, instead of having to accept that Africa is still severely trailing behind other continents in terms of development.
Although they are listed as the most underdeveloped countries in the world, you will be surprised to learn that the living costs in these countries are not as low as one would expect. In fact, not a single member of our ranking has managed to snag a spot among the 20 countries with the lowest cost of living in the world. Evidently, it is not cheaper to live in some of the most underdeveloped countries in the world, than in far more advanced nations, like Romania or the Philippines.
The countries which appear in the following list are all facing a very complicated economic outlook and are plagued by a serious lack of infrastructure. They are not equipped to deal with natural disasters, their economies consist primarily of subsistence farming, and the health and education services suffer from a serious lack in funding. These are just some of the factors involved in determining which nations are to be included in the list of the most undeveloped countries in the world. Yet in order to find a more cohesive variable, we will take a look at the Human Development Index (HDI) in order to determine which countries are trailing behind the most.
10. Mozambique
The first country on our list is the East African nation of Mozambique. Although recent trends show a positive growth trajectory over the past years, the economy of Mozambique has gone through some very hard times in the past and suffered greatly from corruption, leaving it highly impoverished.
The list of African nations which are the most underdeveloped countries in the world continues on the next page.
9. Guinea
Despite owning a significant amount of mineral wealth, Guinea has not managed to translate this bounty into significant advances in other sectors. The government’s preference for military spending is notorious, while the budget for social projects remains basically non-existent.
8. Burundi
Burundi has been plagued by political instability and violence for decades, making it a prime candidate to be one of the most undeveloped nations around. A ceasefire has only been in effect for some years now, and recovery is still a long distance away.
7.Burkina Faso
This landlocked West African nation was ruled by President Blaise Compaoré since 1987, until he resigned at the end of October. Despite a rather constant economic performance, Burkina Faso lacks major investments in the utilities and services sectors, although this trend is being slowly reversed.
6. Eritrea
Bordering Sudan and Ethiopia is Eritrea, which glares at Saudi Arabia just across the Red Sea. Despite being one of the most underdeveloped nations in the world, things are looking up as of late, as the gold industry has begun to bring in large benefits.
5. Sierra Leone
Ever since its economic activity began to decline in the 1990’s and was finally destroyed by the civil war which ended in 2002, Sierra Leone’s Human Development Index has been on the lower end of the scale.
4. Chad
This country is not mentioned often and is hard to find on a map for many. Landlocked and bordered by six nations, Chad is one of the largest nations in Africa, and also one of the poorest. With most of its population relying on subsistence farming, sometimes it is even hard to get actual data for this country.
3. Central African Republic
The Central African Republic not only shares a border with Chad, but also its fate in terms of underdevelopment. Yet with massive population displacements, violence, and ethnic cleansing plaguing the country, little can be expected in terms of human development.
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
Devastated by civil war, violence and disease, the Democratic Republic of Congo is symptomatic of the most severe issues concerning the African continent for the past few decades. Political instability, widespread corruption and a complete lack of infrastructure make it impossible to harness the wealth of this country’s abundance of natural resources.
1. Niger
Landlocked and condemned to subsistence farming, Niger has found a new source of potential wealth in its uranium deposits, which might be the largest in the world. Nevertheless, desertification, droughts, and a drop in the global demand for nuclear material might just leave this economy in shambles once again.
