From an economic perspective, Africa is the poorest continent. Almost half of all people living in Sub-Saharan Africa live below the poverty line. The causes for this dynamic are legion. A large portion of them can be attributed to foreign intervention in the form of colonialism and exploitative business ventures, which have left huge challenges for the African people to overcome.
Of Africa’s 54 recognized countries, which holds the unfortunate title of being the poorest?
South Sudan Is the Poorest Country in Africa
Most current sources cite the poorest country in Africa as South Sudan, although there are many metrics and data sets to consider, and other countries like Burundi are often quoted as being the poorest. One also has to consider the reliability of information as well as the changing nature of world economics and fluctuating values. Therefore, it stands to reason that quoting South Sudan as the poorest country in Africa remains a tentative suggestion rather than a hard fact. Suffice it to say, however, that the economic outlook for this country is particularly bad.
Having gained independence as recently as 2011 by breaking away from Sudan, South Sudan is also the world’s youngest country. The biggest cause of South Sudan’s poverty is decades of war which has ravaged the country and stunted prospects of economic growth.
The south of Sudan fought against the north from 1955 to 1972 in the First Sudanese Civil War and then again from 1983 to 2005 in the Second Sudanese Civil War. Both conflicts were extremely brutal and involved extremely high casualty rates. The result of these wars was South Sudan gaining independence in 2011. This, however, did not usher in an era of peace.
Recent Changes
From 2013 to 2020, the new nation was gripped by yet more fighting as the country descended into a brutal civil war characterized by multiple human rights abuses, and the mass exodus of people fleeing the conflict.
Published on November 6, 2024, Focus Economics released a list of the poorest countries by consensus forecast for GDP per capita. Afghanistan ranked first with a forecasted GDP per capita of USD 434, with South Sudan in second place at USD 448. The other 18 countries on the list of 20 are all from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Thus, the overwhelming majority of South Sudan’s population lives under the national poverty line. The reasons for this are rooted in a historic socio-economic dynamic that has led to intense conflicts and violence, poor or nonexistent service delivery, and extreme levels of corruption. To add to the woes, natural disasters have added to the man-made problems, leaving destruction and misery in their wake.
South Sudan is an extremely underdeveloped nation, with most communities having no reliable access to electricity or safe drinking water. In fact, a report published by Statista in 2022, stated that only 8.4 percent of South Sudan’s population had access to electricity, making it the least electrified country in the world, ahead of (or behind, depending on your point of reference) Burundi (10.3 percent) and Chad (11.7 percent). Underdevelopment also extends to transport infrastructure, making it difficult to deliver aid to those who need it. In addition, those who do deliver aid are at risk of being attacked by militants.
Is There a Future for South Sudan?
There’s no denying that the prospects for South Sudan are grim. In particular, political stability is much needed. The outlook for the economy, however, is gradually improving. South Sudan relies heavily on its oil exports. This industry is served by pipelines that run through its northern neighbor, Sudan. When one of them ruptured, the South Sudanese economy suffered, shrinking by 24.5% in 2024. The pipeline has since been repaired, and the economy is recovering, leading to a positive growth outlook for 2025.
This represents the first step to stable economic growth and building a foundation from which the beleaguered nation of South Sudan can recover.
