Least developed countries
Countries that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development
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We include updates on Botswana, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia, Tanzania, Bhutan, Sudan, Madagascar, Eritrea, Somalia ... and more.
| 2025 |
Burundi
New administrative division takes effect with new parliamentary elections, reorganizing the country into 5 provinces: Buhumuza, Bujumbura, Burunga, Butanyerera, and Gitega.
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| 2025 |
Musk family
Vivian Wilson is featured in Teen Vogue and is studying in Tokyo.
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| May 27 2025 |
Timor-Leste
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced Timor-Leste's admission as the 11th full ASEAN member during the upcoming October 2025 ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
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| 2025 |
Senegal
3.5 percent of the national budget was allocated to the Ministry of Education.
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| 2025 |
Burkina Faso
Armed forces foiled an attempted coup allegedly planned by plotters based in Ivory Coast. Thousands rallied in Ouagadougou in support of the military government.
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| 2025 |
Angola
Angola premiered its first Musical film, 'The Adventures of Angosat', which was composed by local rapper Isis Hembe.
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| 2025 |
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone set an ambitious goal to provide solar power to all of its citizens by this year through the Energy Africa access campaign.
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| April 2025 |
Sudan
During the ongoing Sudanese civil war, a rival Government of Peace and Unity was established to administer areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces and allied groups.
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| 2025 |
Sudan
Sudan was actively participating in International Court of Justice proceedings against the United Arab Emirates under the UN's genocide prevention treaty.
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| 2025 |
Niger
Hausa replaced French as the official language of Niger.
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| 2025 |
Niger
Niger became the first African country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicate onchocerciasis, according to the World Health Organization.
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| April 2025 |
Benin
The government of Benin adopted a law recognizing 16 kingdoms, 80 senior chiefs, and 10 traditional chiefs, using the pre-colonial period (1894 for the south, 1897 for the north) as a historical reference.
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| April 2025 |
Benin
Government adopts a law recognizing 16 kingdoms, 80 senior chiefs, and 10 traditional chiefs, using pre-colonial historical references from 1894 (south) and 1897 (north).
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| March 31 2025 |
Musk family
Musk wrote that he was unsure if he was St. Clair's child's father but paid her $2.5 million with ongoing annual payments of $500,000.
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| March 26 2025 |
South Sudan
Vice President Riek Machar was arrested on orders of President Salva Kiir, who claimed Machar had instigated and supported the White Army. The arrest violated the 2020 civil war ceasefire and was followed by mass sacking of Machar's supporters.
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| 2025 |
Cambodia
Cambodia is expected to be completely free of land mines.
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| 2025 |
Bhutan
Bhutan plans to expand its Bitcoin mining capacity to 600 megawatts through a partnership with Bitdeer, a Nasdaq-listed technology company.
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| 2025 |
Sudan
UN report projected that 30.4 million people in Sudan will need humanitarian aid due to the ongoing military conflict.
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| 2025 |
Chad
France handed over its last military base in Chad to the Chadian military, ending its military presence in the country that began in 1960.
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| 2025 |
Bangladesh
First unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, constructed with assistance from Rosatom, is expected to go into operation.
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| 2025 |
Tanzania
The government's goal is to increase electricity generation capacity to at least 10,000 megawatts.
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| March 2025 |
South Sudan
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared the peace agreement 'in shambles' and warned South Sudan was on the 'edge of a collapse into civil war'.
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| March 2025 |
South Sudan
The African Union dispatched a delegation to attempt to deescalate the ongoing conflict.
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| March 8 2025 |
South Sudan
Sudan criticized South Sudan for allowing the UAE-built 'aggression base' disguised as a healthcare facility, alleging support for the RSF militia.
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| March 7 2025 |
South Sudan
The UAE inaugurated the 'Madhol Field Hospital' in Eastern Aweil, led by UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan.
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| 2025 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Population estimated to have grown to approximately 111 million since 2000.
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| March 3 2025 |
Guinea-Bissau
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló contradicted his previous statement and announced he would run for a second term in November.
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| March 2025 |
South Sudan
Clashes between the Army and the rebel Nuer White Army in the town of Nasir resulted in dozens of deaths.
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| March 2025 |
South Sudan
President Salva Kiir invited a unit of Ugandan armed forces into South Sudan to help fight against the Nuer White Army.
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| February 22 2025 |
Musk family
St. Clair filed for sole custody of her son and for Musk to be recognized as the father.
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| February 14 2025 |
Musk family
Ashley St. Clair claimed to have given birth to Musk's son Romulus five months earlier.
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| February 14 2025 |
Sudan
UAE organizes the 'High-Level Humanitarian Conference for the People of Sudan' in Addis Ababa, which the Sudanese government condemns, accusing the UAE of using aid to improve its image.
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| January 26 2025 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The DRC severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda due to its support for the M23 rebels' Goma offensive. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the fighting, and hundreds of female inmates were reported raped and burned alive during a prison mass jailbreak.
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| January 21 2025 |
Tanzania
President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed a Marburg virus outbreak, expressing confidence in the country's ability to manage the situation and implementing measures to contain the virus's spread.
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| January 19 2025 |
Myanmar
ASEAN issues a statement urging Myanmar's military government to prioritize ceasefire, allow humanitarian access, and end hostilities.
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| January 2025 |
Afghanistan
International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief judge Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanity, specifically for oppression and persecution of Afghan women and girls since 2021.
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| January 12 2025 |
São Tomé and Príncipe
Américo Ramos was appointed as the new prime minister, succeeding Ilza Amado Vaz.
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| January 2025 |
Burundi
Burundi deployed thousands of soldiers to assist the Congolese army in South Kivu following the fall of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid rising tensions with Rwanda and concerns of a potential regional war.
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| January 9 2025 |
São Tomé and Príncipe
Ilza Amado Vaz briefly served as prime minister, succeeding Patrice Trovoada.
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| 2024 |
Maldives
The Maldives was ranked 106th in the World Press Freedom Index.
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| 2024 |
Musk family
Shivon Zilis gave birth to Musk's third child with her, his twelfth child, via surrogacy.
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| 2024 |
Cape Verde
Cape Verde received a Fragile States Index score of 57.2, suggesting moderate state stability and governance challenges.
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| 2024 |
Cape Verde
Cape Verde ranked 0.62 in the e-Government Readiness Index, indicating moderate digital government development.
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| 2024 |
Maldives
Ex-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was freed from his 11-year conviction, with the High Court ordering a new trial.
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| 2024 |
Benin
Benin was ranked 119th in the Global Innovation Index, reflecting its scientific and technological development status.
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| 2024 |
Benin
Benin ranked 99th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index, indicating ongoing challenges in nutrition and food security.
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| 2024 |
Laos
Tourist numbers exceed 5 million, contributing over US$1 billion to the Laotian economy.
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| 2024 |
Mali
Mali government approved a bill criminalizing homosexual relations between same-sex couples, further restricting personal freedoms.
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| 2024 |
Mali
Approximately 7.1 million people, including over 3.8 million children, require urgent humanitarian assistance due to escalating conflict and climate crises. UNICEF appeals for $133.5 million to provide essential services.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Musk family, Tanzania, Laos, Bangladesh, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, Niger, Sierra Leone, Mali, Cape Verde, Bhutan, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad, Burundi, Timor-Leste, Benin, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Cambodia, Maldives, Myanmar, Angola & Guinea-Bissau, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.