Which Country Has the Highest Poverty Rate
According to the latest available public data, South Sudan consistently ranks among the countries with the highest poverty rates, with a large share of its population living below the international poverty line of 2.15 dollars per day as reported by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. The country's poverty is driven by prolonged conflict, weak institutions, and limited infrastructure, which restrict economic growth and access to basic services. For context on how extreme poverty is measured globally, see the World Bank's poverty thresholds and methodology page World Bank poverty data.
In 2025, the World Bank's updated classifications and the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report place several sub-Saharan African nations at the top of the rankings for multidimensional poverty, with South Sudan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic frequently appearing in the top positions. These countries share common challenges such as political instability, climate shocks, and heavy reliance on agriculture, which limit household resilience. The latest Global Multidimensional Poverty Index from the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative provides detailed rankings by country Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
Key Drivers of Extreme Poverty
Conflict and political instability are among the strongest predictors of high poverty rates, as seen in countries like South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen, where decades of violence disrupt markets, displace populations, and deter investment. Climate change compounds these risks through droughts, floods, and crop failures, especially in regions dependent on rain-fed agriculture, pushing millions into deeper poverty each year. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations tracks the links between conflict, climate, and food insecurity FAO emergencies and resilience.
Weak governance, corruption, and limited fiscal space also trap countries in poverty by reducing public investment in health, education, and roads. In the poorest nations, tax revenues are often too low to fund basic services, while high debt servicing costs crowd out development spending. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank publish debt and fiscal data that help explain these constraints IMF debt sustainability analysis.
Global Rankings and Trends in 2025
The World Bank's updated poverty estimates and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals progress reports show that while global extreme poverty has declined over recent decades, the pace has slowed, and setbacks from the pandemic and recent crises have left millions in the most fragile countries still trapped in extreme poverty. The latest data highlight that a disproportionate share of the world's poor now lives in conflict-affected and low-growth countries in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia. The World Bank's PovcalNet tool provides the latest country-level poverty headcount ratios World Bank poverty statistics.
International organizations use multiple measures beyond the 2.15 dollar per day line, including the 3.65 dollar and 6.85 dollar thresholds, to capture poverty in middle-income countries and multidimensional poverty that includes health, education, and living standards. In 2025, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index and the World Bank's Poverty and Inequality Platform remain the most widely cited sources for cross-country comparisons. The United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report office publishes interactive data tools that allow users to explore poverty trends by country UNDP Human Development Index.