These are Asia’s poorest countries in 2023. The biggest continent in the world is Asia. It covers around 17.2 million square miles (44.58 square km), or over 30% of the planet’s surface area and 8.7% of its landmass. Asia is also home to over 4.6 billion individuals.
Several sovereign territories and special administrative regions are also found in Asia, which is home to 49 countries overall, albeit this figure is debatable.
Major countries in Asia like China, India, Japan, and South Korea have sizable populations and economies, with China’s ranking as the second and India’s as the fifth-largest economy in the world, respectively.
Despite this though, there are poor countries in Asia that aren’t doing well.
These are the poorest countries in Asia by 2020 GDP per capita in current US$.
Afghanistan ($500)
The persistent armed war, rampant political corruption, and widespread income disparity are burdens on this mountainous country. The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan’s government after the United States and United Nations withdrew their forces in mid-2021.
Although the long-term effects of this change on Afghanistan’s economic situation have not yet been determined, it is widely believed that the Taliban’s ongoing conflicts with ISIL, as well as its forced closure of female-owned businesses and its refusal to permit girls to attend school, are unlikely to result in a more robust and stable economy.
The top 10 least developed nations in Asia according to the World Bank’s projected GDP per person in US dollars for 2020
Yemen ($940, only an estimated)
According to the Human Development Index (HDI) for 2021/22, Yemen is one of the least developed countries in the world, coming in at number 183 out of 191 countries. Due to Yemen’s protracted civil war, corruption, and poor economic management, the country is extremely poor.
As a result of the civil conflict, an increasing number of Yemenis are living in poverty. A whopping 65% of people are considered to be extremely poor and 79% of people live below the poverty level.
Tajikistan ($1060)
Almost every indicator places Tajikistan as the second or third poorest nation in Asia. The economy of Tajikistan suffers from a lack of infrastructure.
Tajikistan has one of the world’s largest remittance economies because a high number of qualified workers leave the nation in quest of better employment possibilities.
Additionally, one-fifth of Tajikistan’s schools were destroyed during the country’s civil war in the 1990s, denying youngsters access to education, which is one of the main elements in reducing poverty.
Kyrgyzstan ($1160)
Kyrgyzstan is the fifth-poorest nation in Asia, according to GDP per capita (current US dollars). The poverty rate in Kyrgyzstan is about 32% of the total population.
The country’s reliance on agriculture and the disparities in access to resources and knowledge among its citizens are the main contributors to poverty in Kyrgyzstan.
Additionally, Kyrgyzstan only exports cotton and tobacco and has few natural resources that are valuable to the rest of the globe. Furthermore, a lack of competent banking and financial services in many Kyrgyzstan regions discourages investment and slows down the country’s economic expansion.
Nepal ($1190)
The absence of industry, political unrest, and reliance on agriculture in Nepal are the main causes of its poverty.
Despite having abundant natural resources, Nepal hasn’t made use of or profited from them by exporting them to other nations.
Myanmar ($1260)
The poverty rate in Myanmar is roughly 26%, especially in the rural areas where 70% of the population resides. Poor government planning, internal strife, a dearth of foreign investment, a huge trade imbalance, a lack of infrastructure, and a lack of knowledge to exploit the nation’s natural resources are the main causes of the slow economic progress.
Pakistan ($1280)
Despite Pakistan’s abundance of natural resources, almost 40% of its people are living in abject poverty. Religious and secular strife, governmental corruption and elitism, and a lack of democratic values are some causes of this dysfunction. While only allocating 2.6% of its total GDP to education, the nation spends the majority of its national budget on defence. As a result, about half of Pakistan’s population is illiterate.
North Korea ($1286, only an estimate)
Even though North Korea’s leadership is famously secretive and rarely releases its data, the country may be the poorest in Asia. Nevertheless, economists must rely heavily on expert estimations. The authoritarian regime’s ineffective leadership is blamed for North Korea’s poverty.
In North Korea, there is hardly any free market activity. In North Korea, 60% of the population is expected to be living in poverty by the year 2020.
Cambodia ($1490)
Human resources are scarce in Cambodia, and income disparity is pervasive. Despite recent economic successes, the nation still struggles with poverty, and the government has not done much to provide the essential infrastructure to help millions of its citizens escape poverty.
Uzbekistan ($1670)
An emerging producer of goods like gold, copper, uranium, petroleum gas, cotton, and grapes, Uzbekistan was formerly a part of the Soviet Union. But because of widespread governmental corruption, just a small segment of the population is substantially benefiting from these industries’ revenues. Economists view this corruption as a significant barrier to the nation’s effort to escape poverty, combined with the income inequality it fosters.
Conclusion
Some of the poorest nations in Asia are Yemen, Tajikistan, and Myanmar, where political unrest and economic instability have also contributed to widespread poverty.
Among other problems, many times a day, the poor people in these Asian countries go without food. Food that they can purchase is frequently inexpensive and deficient in the vital proteins, vitamins, and minerals needed to not only survive but also grow.
So many people in Asia are struggling to survive every day more so in the countries we’ve shared.
