In the world’s poorest countries with their high level of informal employment, there were no social safety nets or temporary loans to keep businesses open and workers employed. Underprivileged households worldwide suffered the severest social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Weaknesses compound: A country in debt will not be able to afford good schools, and a poorly educated workforce will limit capacity. And so can a history of exploitative colonization, weak rule of law, war and social unrest, severe climate conditions or hostile, aggressive neighbors. Corrupt governments can make a very rich nation into a poor one. It is hard to pinpoint a single cause for long-term poverty. So how do we determine the poorest countries in the world? While GDP per capita is often considered the standard metric, compensating for differences in living costs and rates of inflation by using purchasing power parity (PPP) can better assess an individual’s buying power in any given country. For other likely contenders for the undesirable title of the world’s poorest country-Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen-years of ongoing conflict make it impossible to even attempt an assessment due to the lack of reliable economic figures. Yet people countries like Burundi, South Sudan and the Central African Republic continue to live in desperate poverty. The world has enough wealth and resources to ensure that the entire human race enjoys a decent standard of living.
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