The 15 Poorest Countries in America [2023 Updated]

The wealth of the American continent is very heterogeneous. Countries like the United States or Canada have up to four times more GDP per capita than the vast majority of South American countries.

In the case of Central America, while countries such as Panama and Costa Rica have experienced great economic growth, others such as Nicaragua, Honduras or Guatemala maintain economies very similar to those of the majority of South American countries.

Haiti, the poorest country in America

The case of Haiti is especially delicate. It is estimated that 80% of the country’s population is in poverty. Although the country receives large amounts of aid annually from the United States, Canada and the European Union, the country’s economy is greatly burdened by the agricultural sector. About 70% of Haitians depend exclusively on agriculture.

Another important factor that slows down the country’s growth is brain drain. More than 80% of the population with high educational levels have emigrated outside the country in search of opportunities.

Haiti’s current GDP per capita in 2023 stands at $2,170. Nicaragua follows very closely with $2,590 and Honduras with $3,280.

The poorest countries in America according to their GDP per capita

#	Country	GDP per capita (in USD) (2023)	GDP per capita (in USD) (2022)
1.	Haiti	2,170	1,700
2.	Nicaragua	2,590	2,390
3.	Honduras	3,280	3,060
4.	Venezuela	3,640	3,460
5.	Bolivia	3,800	3,610
6.	El Savador	5,310	4,990
7.	Guatemala	5,360	5,000
8.	Suriname	5,560	5,710
9.	Paraguay	5,670	5,540
10.	Jamaica	6,280	5,850
11.	Colombia	6,420	6,660
12.	Ecuador	6,640	6,460
13.	Belize	7,020	6,680
14.	Peru	7,770	7,090
15.	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	9,140	8,540

In terms of nominal GDP, the country with the lowest figures is Dominica with 680 million dollars. Let us remember that nominal GDP measures the country’s wealth in a more generalized way, since this metric measures the monetary value of all goods and services produced by a country during a specific period of time; usually one year.

The poorest countries in America according to their nominal GDP

#	Country	Nominal GDP (in millions of USD) (2023)	Nominal GDP (in millions of USD) (2022)
1.	Dominica	680	610
2.	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	1,040	950
3.	Saint Kitts and Nevis	1,050	970
4.	Grenada	1,270	1,190
5.	Old and bearded	1,860	1,680
6.	St. Lucia	2,260	2,080
7.	Belize	3,160	2,950
8.	Suriname	3,470	3,520
9.	Barbados	6,120	5,670
10.	Bahamas	14,110	13,040
11.	Guyana	16,310	14,520
12.	Nicaragua	17,290	15,770
13.	Jamaica	17,250	16,040
14.	Haiti	26,580	20,540
15.	Trinidad and Tobago	28,220	27,880