Nigeria has slipped to 56th position among the world’s 60 poorest countries measured by GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP), according to a 2026 ranking by Global Finance magazine.
The country recorded a GDP per capita of $9,532.92, down from 44th position in the 2025 ranking, placing Nigeria among a group dominated by African economies.
The PPP measure adjusts economic output for differences in living costs and inflation across countries, providing a basis for comparing the relative economic well-being of populations.
Burundi occupied the bottom position with $994.23 per capita, followed by the Central African Republic at $1,437.72 and South Sudan at $1,467.19. Nine of the 10 countries at the bottom of the ranking are African, with Yemen the only country from outside the continent.
Other African countries near the bottom included Niger, ranked 11th with $2,108.46; Sudan, 13th with $2,427.43; Burkina Faso, 16th with $3,060.34; and Lesotho, 17th with $3,211.83.
Chad and Guinea-Bissau occupied the 18th and 19th positions with $3,284.18 and $3,304.84 respectively, while Mali, Togo, The Gambia and Sierra Leone ranked 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd.
Further down the table, Uganda ranked 26th, Zambia 31st, Ethiopia 32nd, Guinea 33rd, Benin 34th, Senegal 37th and Cameroon 38th. Kenya was 44th, Zimbabwe 46th, Côte d’Ivoire 48th and Ghana 51st.
Mauritania ranked 52nd with $8,831.81, while Djibouti occupied 55th place with $9,435.70, placing Nigeria just above it in the 56th position on the 2026 Global Finance list.
