The State of Affairs:

A Data-Driven Investigation into the World's 46 Least Developed Countries

Updated Quarterly
Tracking economic vulnerabilities, social indicators, and governance patterns across one billion people in 46 nations—the countries the world too often forgets.

The State of Affairs:

Economic and social indicators across 46 Least Developed Countries

Countries
46
Avg GDP/Cap
$1,373
Avg Life Exp.
65.3
Total Pop.
1.1B
Debt-to-GDP figures show the most recent available data (with year labels). Many LDCs lack current debt data due to conflict or limited statistical capacity. Missing data marked as "N/A". Sources: World Bank, IMF. Extracted September 2025.
🌍 Africa (33 countries)
Angola
GDP/Cap: $2,122
Life Exp: 64.6 years
Debt/GDP: 56.1% (2023)
Benin
GDP/Cap: $1,485
Life Exp: 60.8 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Burkina Faso
GDP/Cap: $987
Life Exp: 61.1 years
Debt/GDP: 61.3% (2023)
Burundi
GDP/Cap: $154
Life Exp: 63.7 years
Debt/GDP: 14.5% (2023)
Central African Republic
GDP/Cap: $516
Life Exp: 57.4 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Chad
GDP/Cap: $1,016
Life Exp: 55.1 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Comoros
GDP/Cap: $1,784
Life Exp: 66.8 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
DR Congo
GDP/Cap: $647
Life Exp: 61.9 years
Debt/GDP: 16.0% (2022)
Djibouti
GDP/Cap: $3,496
Life Exp: 66.0 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Eritrea
GDP/Cap: N/A
Life Exp: 68.6 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Ethiopia
GDP/Cap: $1,011
Life Exp: 67.3 years
Debt/GDP: 31.5% (2019)
Gambia
GDP/Cap: $909
Life Exp: 65.9 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Guinea
GDP/Cap: $1,717
Life Exp: 60.7 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Guinea-Bissau
GDP/Cap: $963
Life Exp: 64.1 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Lesotho
GDP/Cap: $972
Life Exp: 57.4 years
Debt/GDP: 3.0% (2020)
Liberia
GDP/Cap: $846
Life Exp: 62.2 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Madagascar
GDP/Cap: $545
Life Exp: 63.6 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Malawi
GDP/Cap: $508
Life Exp: 67.4 years
Debt/GDP: 55.6% (2022)
Mali
GDP/Cap: $1,086
Life Exp: 60.4 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Mauritania
GDP/Cap: $2,083
Life Exp: 68.5 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Mozambique
GDP/Cap: $647
Life Exp: 63.6 years
Debt/GDP: 76.6% (2022)
Niger
GDP/Cap: $723
Life Exp: 61.2 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Rwanda
GDP/Cap: $1,000
Life Exp: 67.8 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Sao Tome & Principe
GDP/Cap: $3,245
Life Exp: 69.7 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Senegal
GDP/Cap: $1,744
Life Exp: 68.7 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Sierra Leone
GDP/Cap: $873
Life Exp: 61.8 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Somalia
GDP/Cap: $637
Life Exp: 58.8 years
Debt/GDP: 6.0% (2024)
South Sudan
GDP/Cap: N/A
Life Exp: 57.6 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Sudan
GDP/Cap: $989
Life Exp: 66.3 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Tanzania
GDP/Cap: $1,186
Life Exp: 67.0 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Togo
GDP/Cap: $1,043
Life Exp: 62.7 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Uganda
GDP/Cap: $1,073
Life Exp: 68.3 years
Debt/GDP: 53.2% (2023)
Zambia
GDP/Cap: $1,235
Life Exp: 66.4 years
Debt/GDP: 71.4% (2021)
🌏 Asia (9 countries)
Afghanistan
GDP/Cap: $414
Life Exp: 66.0 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Bangladesh
GDP/Cap: $2,593
Life Exp: 74.7 years
Debt/GDP: 39.8% (2023)
Bhutan
GDP/Cap: $3,839
Life Exp: 73.0 years
Debt/GDP: 111.0% (2020)
Cambodia
GDP/Cap: $2,628
Life Exp: 70.7 years
Debt/GDP: 50.3% (2023)
Laos
GDP/Cap: $2,124
Life Exp: 69.0 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Myanmar
GDP/Cap: $1,359
Life Exp: 66.9 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Nepal
GDP/Cap: $1,447
Life Exp: 70.4 years
Debt/GDP: 39.9% (2021)
Timor-Leste
GDP/Cap: $1,343
Life Exp: 67.7 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Yemen
GDP/Cap: $433
Life Exp: 69.3 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
🌊 Pacific (3 countries)
Kiribati
GDP/Cap: $2,289
Life Exp: 66.5 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Solomon Islands
GDP/Cap: $2,149
Life Exp: 70.5 years
Debt/GDP: 15.4% (2022)
Tuvalu
GDP/Cap: $6,345
Life Exp: 67.1 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
🌴 Caribbean (1 country)
Haiti
GDP/Cap: $2,143
Life Exp: 64.9 years
Debt/GDP: N/A
Sources: World Bank (GDP, population, social indicators), IMF (debt data where available). Dataset extracted September 2025. Debt figures include year labels showing most recent available data.