Some of the harshest tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump are aimed at some of the poorest and most vulnerable countries, including those in the midst of civil wars and emerging from a suffocating economic crisis.
This is reported by CNN.
In particular, we are talking about five countries that are among the 26 poorest economies in the world:
- Democratic Republic of Congo (11%),
- Madagascar (47%),
- Mozambique (16%),
- Malawi (18%),
- Syria (41%).
According to the World Bank, these countries account for only 0.5% of global output and income, but they are home to almost 40% of the world's poor.
In particular, in Madagascar, an island with a population of about 25 million, more than 80% of the population lives in extreme poverty and survives on less than USD 2.15 a day. Its exports to the US in 2024 amounted to almost USD 800 million and consisted mainly of vanilla, clothing, titanium and cobalt.
Venezuela (15%), which has suffered from an economic collapse and humanitarian disaster, relies on the US as its largest trading partner. In 2024, the US imported USD 6 billion worth of goods.
Among the other countries with the highest tariff rates is Myanmar (44%), a Southeast Asian country that recently suffered a major earthquake that killed more than 3,000 people. The country has also been embroiled in a four-year civil war. Having started as a result of a military coup, fighting is taking place between the junta forces and rebel groups across the country.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Trump has officially launched a tariff, or "trade" war, against all states, introducing duties ranging from 10% to 50% on imports, depending on the country of origin.
The United States is imposing a separate tariff on Ukrainian imports of 10%. This is the minimum base tariff level for countries that have fallen under the new trade restrictions.
However, the list does not include russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus.
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