World Bank says poorest countries facing worst debt since 2006

The World Bank published a new study late on Sunday highlighting 26 countries that "are in deeper debt that at any other time since 2006." The list includes Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and North Korea. Most of the other nations are in sub-Saharan Africa, and include Ethopia and Chad.

With an annual per capita income of less than $1,145 a year, the World Bank said these countries "are poorer today on average than they were on the eve of COVID-19, even though the rest of the world has largely recovered." The report also found that these countries are heavily reliant on the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) to prop up their economies.