As of 2015, there are 29 independent nations where French is an official language, also known as francophone countries. Francophone countries are in five of the seven continents including Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Out of the 29 francophone countries, only 3 of them are in the top 10% in terms of countries with the greatest nominal gross domestic product. There are more than 12 francophone countries in the bottom 30% in terms of country rank per GDP. Countries like Madagascar, Rwanda, Congo, Benin are some of the poorest in the world and suffer from extreme poverty. The research explains the historic, economic, geographical, and social causes of poverty in various francophone countries in relation to the world’s most developed nations. The research also analyzes the effects of extreme poverty of francophone countries and gives policy implications to combat the overwhelming global wealth gap.
