Nigeria has been ranked the 12th poorest country by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita for 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as reported by Visual Capitalist. The data shows Nigeria placed 178th out of 189 countries surveyed, with a GDP per capita of $807.
GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s total economic output by its population, offering a more balanced way to measure and compare the average economic well-being of citizens across different nations. While Nigeria stands out as one of Africa’s largest economies by total GDP, this figure reveals that much of its population does not feel the benefit.
South Sudan sits at the bottom of the list with a GDP per capita of $251. Other countries ranked among the poorest include Yemen, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Malawi. Several African nations like Madagascar, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and Niger also fall in this category.
India, despite being the world’s fourth-largest economy by total GDP, ranks 50th poorest by GDP per capita at $2,878. The report highlighted this as an example of how large populations can skew per-person income statistics, affecting countries like India and Nigeria.
Visual Capitalist explained that ongoing issues such as internal conflict, weak governance, and underdeveloped industries continue to limit income growth in many low-ranking countries, even as global economies begin to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report also mentioned that no reliable data were available for countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Palestine.
