Nigeria has been ranked 59th from the bottom among 202 economies in the International Monetary Fund’s latest 2026 projections for gross domestic product per capita based on purchasing power parity.
With a projected GDP-PPP per capita of $9,994, Nigeria sits above Venezuela and below Kyrgyzstan, which recorded the highest figure among the 60 lowest-ranked economies at $10,024.
GDP measured at purchasing power parity adjusts economic output to account for differences in the prices of goods and services between countries, making it useful for comparing relative economic capacity.
At the bottom of the ranking is Burundi, with projected GDP-PPP per capita of $1,031, followed by the Central African Republic at $1,468 and South Sudan at $1,540.
Yemen, with $1,596, and Mozambique, with $1,699, complete the five lowest positions, while Malawi, Somalia, Liberia, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo occupy the next five places.
Niger, Afghanistan, Sudan, Solomon Islands and Haiti follow, with projected figures ranging from $2,232 to $2,993.
Burkina Faso, Lesotho, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Mali are next, while Togo, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea occupy positions 21 to 25.
Vanuatu, the State of Palestine, Uganda, Comoros and Rwanda follow, with GDP-PPP per capita ranging from $4,100 to $4,524.
Zambia, Tanzania, Syria, Ethiopia and Micronesia occupy the next five positions, followed by Benin, Guinea, Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Senegal.
Cameroon, Tuvalu, Nepal, Tajikistan, São Tomé and Príncipe and the Republic of the Congo are also among the economies with comparatively low projected output per person.
Pakistan, with $7,014, ranks 47th, followed by Kenya at $8,020, Honduras at $8,223 and Zimbabwe at $8,443.
Tonga and the Marshall Islands record $8,488 and $8,504 respectively, while Côte d’Ivoire, Cambodia and Samoa post $8,672, $8,890 and $8,894.
Ghana is projected at $9,116, while Mauritania records $9,280 and Venezuela $9,461.
Nigeria’s economy is supported by services, oil and gas, agriculture and trade, although poverty, inflation, unemployment, insecurity and weak productivity continue to weigh on living standards.
The country’s position in the projection therefore reflects its average economic output per person rather than the income or financial circumstances of individual Nigerians.
Countries such as Burundi and Malawi remain heavily dependent on agriculture, while economies including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea possess substantial mineral resources but face infrastructure and institutional constraints.
Conflict has also significantly affected several countries near the bottom of the table, including South Sudan, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar, disrupting production, investment, trade and public services.
Meanwhile, economies such as Zambia, Mauritania and Venezuela remain heavily dependent on commodities, exposing them to fluctuations in international prices and production conditions.
The IMF figures also show that Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for a large proportion of the economies at the lower end of the ranking, although countries from Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Middle East are also represented.
The figures should not, however, be regarded as a definitive measure of poverty because GDP-PPP per capita does not indicate how national wealth is distributed or determine how much individuals actually earn.
The measure instead provides an estimate of average economic output after accounting for differences in purchasing power across countries.
The 2026 projection consequently offers a snapshot of relative economic capacity rather than a complete assessment of living standards, household income or welfare.
