Zimbabwe joins poverty league

Zimbabwe, which was the most industrialised nation in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa in 1980 - is now among the top 20 poorest countries in the world - ranking 17, according to an unknown Global Finance magazine which provides economic and financial research.

Out of those 20 countries, 17 are from Africa, while three are from the Middle East - Yemen - and two, Kiribati and Solomon Islands, are from the Oceania region in the Central and South Pacific Ocean respectively.

South Sudan is the poorest country in Africa; Nepal in Asia; Papua New Guinea in the Oceania; Haiti in North America; Venezuela in South America and Ukraine in Europe.

The world's poorest countries suffer from civil wars, ethnic and sectarian strife. Covid-19, soaring inflation and the war in Ukraine made their bad situations worse.

Ukraine is now the poorest country in Europe due to the ongoing destructive war.