If you're like me (and i pray you're not) you've been struggling with doing what you want; that is following your dreams, and pure survival. Unfortunately i don't get paid for dreaming. So, i'm trying to find a place where i can live with a roof over my head and have 3 square a day on the cheap. Living in France last year made realize this is not any small order (specially as a student). However, now that i decided to continue my studies in Senegal, i think i found that place.... But, i've continued to search the world (and web) for the cheapest place to live. Cost of living equations are fairly complicated. But, GDP is simple and easily accessible. I've complied a list of the poorest countries in the world. (culled from the CIA's factbook: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html). Living in a poor country is not necessarily cheap. It depends on currency inflation, agriculture, and trade deficit, etc.... For instance a country that doesn't produce any of its food will have to import everything, this can get expensive... But, as reference the GDP per capita of the US is $37,800 (2003 est.). I could live very comfortably on this amount.
So, here's the list of countries with GDP per capita, purchasing power parity less than $2000.
Afghanistan - $700 (2002 est.)
Angola - $1,700 (2002 est.)
Bangladesh - $1,800 (2002 est.)
Benin - $1,100 (2002 est.)
Bhutan - $1,300 (2002 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina - $1,900 (2002 est.)
Burkina Faso - $1,100 (2002 est.)
Burma - $1,700 (2002 est.)
Burundi - $500 (2002 est.)
Cambodia - $1,600 (2002 est.)
Cameroon - $1,700 (2002 est.)
Cape Verde - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Central African Republic - $1,200 (2002 est.)
Chad - $1,000 (2002 est.)
Comoros - $700 (2002 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the - $600 (2002 est.)
Congo, Republic of the - $900 (2002 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Djibouti - $1,300 (2002 est.)
East Timor - $500 (2001 est.)
Eritrea - $700 (2002 est.)
Ethiopia - $700 (2002 est.)
Gambia, The - $1,800 (2002 est.)
Gaza Strip - $600 (2002 est.)
Ghana - $2,000 (2002 est.)
Guinea-Bissau - $700 (2002 est.)
Haiti - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Kenya - $1,100 (2002 est.)
Kiribati - $800 (2001 est.)
Korea, North - $1,000 (2002 est.)
Laos - $1,800 (2002 est.)
Liberia - $1,000 (2002 est.)
Madagascar - $800 (2002 est.)
Malawi - $600 (2002 est.)
Mali - $900 (2002 est.)
Marshall Islands - $1,600 (2001 est.)
Mauritania - $1,700 (2002 est.)
Mayotte - $600 (1998 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of - $2,000 (2002 est.)
Mongolia - $1,900 (2002 est.)
Mozambique - $1,100 (2002 est.)
Nepal - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Niger - $800 (2002 est.)
Nigeria - $900 (2002 est.)
Pakistan - $2,000 (FY01/02 est.)
Rwanda - $1,200 (2002 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe - $1,200 (2002 est.)
Senegal - $1,500 (2002 est.)
Sierra Leone - $500 (2002 est.)
Solomon Islands - $1,700 (2001 est.)
Somalia - $600 (2002 est.)
Sudan - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Tajikistan - $1,300 (2002 est.)
Tanzania - $600 (2002 est.)
Togo - $1,400 (2002 est.)
Tokelau - $1,000 (1993 est.)
Tuvalu - $1,100 (2000 est.)
Uganda - $1,200 (2002 est.)
Wallis and Futuna - $2,000 (2000 est.)
West Bank - $800 (2002 est.)
Yemen - $800 (2002 est.)
Zambia - $800 (2002 est.)
Well, its clear that most of these countries were once colonies, overseas territories, or are still occupied. With only four exceptions; Afghanistan (an argument can be made that is currently occupied by the US, and was invaded by USSR), Ethiopia (which Italy tried to hold on to but failed), North Korea, and Nepal. So, just for fun i decided to find who's colonies are now the poorest countries of the world. And the winner is France with 37%, UK with 34%, Portugal 10%, US 5%, Belgium 3%, Italy 3%, USSR 3%, Israel 3%, and China 2%.
Senegal is on this list. But comparatively its not doing that bad and its GDP growth rate is 4.5% (2003 est.) But, the World Bank and UN have a goal to halve poverty in Africa by 2015. That would mean that each country in Africa would have to have an annual growth rate of 7%. A tall order. No one gets paid for dreaming.