The Poorest People On Earth

By Balogun Kamilu Lekan

According to the United Nations, extreme or abject poverty is characterized by a severe lack of basic necessities such as food, potable water, sanitary facilities, health care, housing, education, and access to information. While lack of access to amenities often contributes to poverty, low income is the primary cause in most cases. Surprisingly, only five nations are home to more than half of the world’s poorest population.

Almost every nation in the world today experiences some level of poverty. The number of individuals in each demographic category whose income is below the international definition of poverty is typically used to calculate a country’s poverty rate.

Below is a list of the top five poorest sets of people on earth

5. The Central Africans

The Central African Republic has recently been among the countries most severely impacted by civil war. 

The nation has experienced ongoing conflicts that pit people against one another based on religious, social, and political ideologies ever since it gained independence from France in 1960.  

Devastating political unrest enveloped the country in 2013, forcing more than half of its population to require humanitarian aid, yet about 71% of the population still lives in penury.

4. The Congolese (DRC) 

Enviable natural resources are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including oil reserves, rivers, forests, several mineral deposits, and productive farming. Approximately its natural resources are worth in excess of U.S. $24 trillion.

Presumably, one would think every Congolese should be relatively wealthy, but more than 70 percent of them live in abject poverty struggling with subsistence agriculture as a means of survival.  Numerous factors, such as a severe lack of infrastructure, a protracted history of conflict, and population relocation, are some of the main causes of widespread poverty.

3. The Guatemalans  

Guatemala is a Central American nation with Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, and Mexico. Extreme geographic and social disparities plague the nation’s economy, contributing to its poverty. About three-quarters of the country’s population, mostly residing in rural areas, is considered poor. With more than 70% of its population struggling with the ability to meet their basic daily needs

2. The Equatorial Guineans

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial Guinea has the highest per capita income. It also happens to be one of the nations with one of the greatest rates of poverty in the world, which is ironic.

With more than 376,000 barrels per day in production about 15 years ago, the nation was the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, widespread theft and corruption have drained the country’s treasury..

More than 76% of Equatorial Guinea today live in extreme poverty. The nation and its people continue to be unable to realize their full potential due to a web of political repression and unbridled corruption.

1. The South Sudanese

Almost the whole population of South Sudan live in devastating poverty. According to recent statistics, an astounding 82.3% of its population is classified as poor. Since the nation’s separation from Sudan, several problems have arisen.

Conflicts have forced more than 4 million people from their homes by 2017. This political instability has greatly impacted the nation’s severe financial status despite having enormous oil reserves.