The Most Underdeveloped Nations in The World

All of these countries are in Africa. They make up the bottom ten of the 177 nations polled. A few nations refused to give information or did not have it to give; Somalia, which has no government, Zimbabwe
which needs no explanation, and Liberia which is has not yet recovered from its civil war.

BURUNDI (167)

Burundi is a tragedy which is not going to end. It’s first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office which triggered ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in  .
neighboring countries.

An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005.

A new cease fire agreement was signed in 2008.

Refugee camps are closing, but Burundi has the lowest per capita income in the world.  It also has the world’s lowest satisfaction with life index.  Burundi is landlocked, resource poor with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture.

Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, rests primarily on weather conditions.

Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Despite this, Burundi’s GDP grew around 5% in 2006-07. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but  a high poverty rate, poor education, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity undermine economic reforms.

Burundi has less health care than most other countries, and life expectancy is about 48.5 years. Burundi is heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced governments revenues to the extent it could not pay salaries.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (168)

Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained independence in 1960. It’s early years were marred by political and social instability.

Col. Joseph Mobutu seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko  as well as that of the country to Zaire.

Mobutu retained power for 32 years through sham elections and brute force. The massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led to the toppling of the Mobutu regime by a rebellion backed
by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent Kabila in 1997.

Kabila renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda.

Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support Kabila’s regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, became head of state.

The prevalence of rape and sexual violence is the worst in the world, and the civil war is the deadliest conflict since World War II,  killing 5.4 million people.  As of publishing, people in the Congo are still dying at about 45,000 a month.

DRC has vast potential wealth but due to instability increased external debt, and the deaths of so many people from violence, famine, and disease, does not encourage foreign investment.