List of 152 developing countries (2024)

FAQs

How many countries are developing countries? ›

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) classifies 152 countries as developing nations, which makes it clear that most of the world's regions are developing and not developed.

The 46 countries currently on the list of LDCs includes: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People's Dem.

The economy of Mexico is a developing mixed-market economy. It is the 12th largest in the world in nominal GDP terms and by purchasing power parity. Since the 1994 crisis, administrations have improved the country's macroeconomic fundamentals.

The L. 69 Group of Developing Countries is a cross regional grouping of 32 developing countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, that is focused on achieving lasting and comprehensive reforms of the UN Security Council.

There are controversies over the term's use, as some feel that it perpetuates an outdated concept of "us" and "them". In 2015, the World Bank declared that the "developing/developed world categorization" had become less relevant and that they will phase out the use of that descriptor.

Belize is an upper middle-income country in Central America with close sociopolitical and economic ties to the Caribbean. In 2022, Belize had a population of 405,000, a gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.5 billion, and a per capita GDP of $6049.

The World Bank, for example, now classifies countries as high-income, upper or lower-middle-income, and low-income. Though Jamaica is often referred to as a third world country or a "developing country", it is considered an upper-middle-income country, according to the World Bank.

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union.

What are the top 10 undeveloped countries? ›

1. Burundi. Burundi consistently ranks among the poorest countries globally. Economic instability, political unrest, and reliance on subsistence agriculture contribute to its economic struggles.

However, it is important to remember that Africa is not a country, but rather a continent. It also is home to some countries that are considered part of the First World, such as South Africa, Egypt, Mauritius, and Libya.

According to the IMF definition, there are 152 developing countries with a current population of around 6.82 billion. At 85.54 percent, this is a considerable proportion of the world's population.

There are currently 45 economies designated by the United Nations as the least developed countries (LDCs), entitling them to preferential market access, aid, special technical assistance, and capacity-building on technology among other concessions.

Roughly, the major world powers and their economic and political allies were First World countries, allies of the Soviet Union were Second World countries, underdeveloped nations were Third World countries, and nations that were entirely isolated from global politics and economics were the Fourth World.