West Africa
Millions of people in West Africa live in extreme poverty. In fact, the four poorest countries in the world are all found in West Africa.
Poorest Countries
Beginning with the poorest, here are the four poorest countries in the world:
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- Malir
- Burkina Faso
West Africa’s natural resources have contributed in many ways to the poverty that exists in the region. Sierra Leone, for example, only recently ended an 11-year civil war that was caused in part by a power struggle over the control of the country’s diamonds. Adults began the war, but the rebel army forced more than 10,000 children to fight in it.
Fact File
- 45 percent of people in Ghana live on less than $1 a day.
- In Sierra Leone, 74 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
- Africa is the only continent where the proportion of people in poverty continues to grow.