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A developing country is a Country with a relatively low Standard Of Living , undeveloped Industrial Base , and moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI). The term has tended to edge out earlier ones, including the Cold War -defined " Third World ". Development entails a modern infrastructure (both physical and institutional), and a move away from low Value Added sectors such as Agriculture and Natural Resource extraction. Developed Countries usually have Economic Systems based on continuous, self-sustaining Economic Growth and high standards of living. The application of the term 'developing country' to all of the world's least developed countries could be considered inappropriate: a number of poor countries are not improving their economic situation (as the term implies), but have experienced prolonged periods of economic decline. MEASURE OF DEVELOPMENT The term "developing country" often refers mainly to countries with low levels of Economic Development , but this is usually closely associated with social development, in terms of Education , Healthcare , Life Expectancy , etc. The development of a country is measured with statistical indexes such as income Per Capita ( GDP ), Life Expectancy , the rate of Literacy , et al. The UN has developed the HDI , a compound indicator of the above statistics, to gauge the level of human development for countries where data is available. Developing countries are in general Countries which have not achieved a significant degree of Industrialization relative to their populations, and which have a low Standard Of Living . There is a strong Correlation between low income and high Population growth, both within and between countries. NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT Even though a good part of the world seems to aspire to development, the term itself is criticized by those who think it is too centered on Western countries. The term implies a direction and a movement that the countries must follow; it implies an inferiority of the developing countries. The terms utilized when discussing developing countries refer to the intent and to the constructs of those who utilize these terms. Other terms sometimes used are less developed countries (LDCs), least economically developed countries (LEDCs), "underdeveloped nations" or "undeveloped nations", Third World nations, The South and "non-industrialized nations". Conversely, the opposite end of the spectrum is termed Developed Countries , Most Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs), First World nations and "industrialized nations". The United Nations allows each nation to decide for itself whether it will be designated as "undeveloped" or "developing" (though many economists and other observers ignore the UN rule about self-designation). To moderate the euphemistic aspect of the word ''developing'', International Organisation s have started to use the term Least Developed Countries (LLDCs) for the poorest nations which can in no sense be regarded as developing. That is, LLDCs are the poorest Subset of LDCs. This also moderates the naïve tendency to believe that the standard of living in Somalia or Ethiopia is comparable to that in Brazil or Mexico . The concept of the developing nation is found, under one term or another, in numerous theoretical systems having diverse orientations — for example, theories of decolonization, liberation theology, marxism, anti-imperialism, and political economy. SOURCES OF (UNDER)DEVELOPMENT According to different theories, sources of underdevelopment include:
TYPOLOGY AND NAMES OF COUNTRIES Countries are often loosely placed into four categories of development: # Developed countries, and their dependencies (''For a list of countries, see'' Developed Country .) # Countries with an economy consistency and fairly strongly developing over a longer period ( China , Mexico , India , Brazil , South Africa , Turkey , the Philippines , Egypt , much of South America , several of the Persian Gulf Arab States , Malaysia , Thailand , Possibly the former Warsaw Pact , etc.) # Countries with a patchy record of development (most countries in Africa , Central America , and the Caribbean excepting Jamaica (category 2); much of the Arab world falls in this category); also much of Southeast Asia , falls under this category excepting Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand (category 2). 76% of the world's countries fall under this category. # Countries with long-term civil war or large-scale breakdown of rule of law or non-development-oriented dictatorship (" Failed States ") (e.g. Haiti , Somalia , Sudan , Burma , perhaps North Korea ) The term "developing nation" is not a label to assign a specific, similar type of problem. Designation of these nations depends on the angle at which one approaches them, and according to the solutions envisoned to solve their problems. Each one of these terms has meanings beyond its first appearance:
:The term was used for the first time by demographer Alfred Sauvy and refers to the Third Estate . The Third World does not include the nations of the liberal West ("First World") nor of the Soviet bloc ("Second World"), and to some extent were disdained because they could not throw strong support behind either. Many "Third World" countries became independent from colonial rule amid fears that, if they were not independent, the Soviet Union would subvert them against their colonizers; both Cold War antagonists tried to control many of these countries by backing leaders and factions therein. A Cold War era term which is increasingly deprecated.
:These terms originate from the fact that most developing countries (including many of the poorest) are to the south of most of the developed countries. However, the geographic distinction is not perfect — for example, Australia and New Zealand, both developed, are south of most less developed countries, but not included in "the South". "North" and "South" are essentially euphemisms for "developed country" and "developing country", but are alternatives which are often preferred by people from the South because they avoid the loaded reference to "development". This is shown in the Brandt report.
:These terms suggest a greater focus on income per capita. It should be noted that this statistic only reflects the statistical average wealth of a country's citizens; when income is distributed very unequally (as measured for example by the Gini Coefficient ) this figure may be misleading (see also Kleptocracy ).
:Most countries that are currently being industrialized or are in advanced phases of industrialization, also have characteristics of a Post-industrial Economy . SEE ALSO
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