The latest 2026 projections based on IMF data rank countries according to GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP). This adjusts for differences in the cost of living between countries.
According to a report published by The Sun on August 25, Nigeria ranks 59th among the 60 countries at the lower end of the ranking, with projected GDP-PPP per capita of $9,994.
FULL LIST: 60 Poorest Countries in 2026
Rank Country GDP-PPP per capita
1 Burundi $1,031
2 Central African Republic $1,468
3 South Sudan $1,540
4 Yemen $1,596
5 Mozambique $1,699
6 Malawi $1,797
7 Somalia $1,956
8 Liberia $2,095
9 Madagascar $2,106
10 DR Congo $2,144
11 Niger $2,232
12 Afghanistan $2,304
13 Sudan $2,451
14 Solomon Islands $2,694
15 Haiti $2,993
16 Burkina Faso $3,227
17 Lesotho $3,301
18 Chad $3,458
19 Guinea-Bissau $3,495
20 Mali $3,665
21 Togo $3,757
22 Gambia $3,865
23 Sierra Leone $3,909
24 Kiribati $3,921
25 Papua New Guinea $3,986
26 Vanuatu $4,100
27 State of Palestine $4,125
28 Uganda $4,192
29 Comoros $4,223
30 Rwanda $4,524
31 Zambia $4,573
32 Tanzania $4,607
33 Syria $4,650
34 Ethiopia $4,974
35 Micronesia $5,052
36 Benin $5,088
37 Guinea $5,177
38 Timor-Leste $5,270
39 Myanmar $5,315
40 Senegal $5,565
41 Cameroon $5,994
42 Tuvalu $6,447
43 Nepal $6,551
44 Tajikistan $6,616
45 São Tomé & Príncipe $6,712
46 Republic of Congo $6,712
47 Pakistan $7,014
48 Kenya $8,020
49 Honduras $8,223
50 Zimbabwe $8,443
51 Tonga $8,488
52 Marshall Islands $8,504
53 Côte d’Ivoire $8,672
54 Cambodia $8,890
55 Samoa $8,894
56 Ghana $9,116
57 Mauritania $9,280
58 Venezuela $9,461
59 Nigeria $9,994
60 Kyrgyzstan $10,024
The figures and ordering above are from the August 25, 2026 report based on the IMF projections.
What Nigeria’s position means
Nigeria’s 59th position does not mean it is literally the 59th poorest country in every measure of poverty. GDP-PPP per capita is an economic-output measure and does not directly measure household income, wealth distribution or the percentage of people living in poverty.
The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook database covers 237 countries, regions and analytical groups, with projections extending to 2031.
Nigeria’s IMF country profile projects 4.1% real GDP growth in 2026, while its population is projected at about 242.6 million.