The 26 poorest countries in the worldwith residents making up 40% of citizens living below the global poverty line, are more indebted than at any time since 2006, making them extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and crises of all kinds, according to new research from her World Bank which was published yesterday Sunday.

As the research notes, these economies have become even poorer than on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that the rest of the planet has largely returned to pre-coronavirus levels in terms of economic growth. Also, Reuters notes, the report confirms a major setback in efforts to eradicate extreme poverty, underscoring the World Bank’s efforts this year to raise $100 billion to replenish its financing fund for the world’s poorest countries, the International Development Association (IDA).

Most of the countries in the study are located in sub-Saharan Africafrom Ethiopia until the Chad and the Congohowever the list also includes the Afghanistan and the Yemen.

Two-thirds of the poorest countries are either in armed conflict or struggling to maintain order due to institutional and social crisis, which puts a damper on foreign investment and nearly all export goods, exposing them to a cycle of perpetual collapse, the report says. .

“At a time when most of the world is escaping the black belt of poverty, the IDA has been their lifeline,” said World Bank Chief Economist Intermit Gill. “Over the past five years, it has poured most of its financial resources into the 26 low-income economies, keeping them afloat after the historic setbacks they suffered.”

Natural disasters have also taken a greater toll on these countries in the past decade. Between 2011 and 2023, natural disasters were linked to average annual losses of 2 percent of GDP, five times the average among lower-middle-income countries, indicating the need for much higher investment, the World Bank said.

The report also recommended that these economies do more to help themselves. This includes improving tax collection by simplifying taxpayer registration and tax administration and improving the efficiency of public spending.