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HDI 2021

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Developing Countries 2024

Although exact definitions vary, a developing country is generally defined as one whose industrial and/or economic development has not yet reached full maturity. This shortcoming leads directly or indirectly to social, political, economic, and environmental challenges that significantly impede quality of life in that country.

Also known as low-income, underdeveloped countries, and/or middle-income countries—a reference to their stunted economies—developing countries are less industrially advanced than countries classified as high-income, or developed countries. The most challenged among them are often given the sub-classification of least developed countries.

How do we know if a country is a "developing" country?

The United Nations uses a metric called the Human Development Index (HDI) to determine whether a country is fully developed or still developing. The HDI considers a broad range of factors, including economic growth, life expectancy, health, education, and quality of life. The highest possible HDI score is a 1.0, and any country that scores less than .80 is considered developing. Of the 191 countries analyzed in the 2021/22 Human Development Report, 125 scored below .80 and were considered developing (see table that follows text).

Another frequently used method of determining whether a country is developed or developing is to examine that country's nominal gross national income (GNI) per capita, which is a useful at-a-glance tool to estimate a country's overall standard of living. Countries whose nominal GNI rises above a certain threshold (which changes slightly each year) are classified as developed, while those whose GNI falls below that amount are considered still developing.

For example, for 2022, the World Bank classifies countries and territories whose GNI is $12,696 or higher as High Income economies. Anything below that number would be considered a developing country (though World Bank prefers the terms Upper-Middle Income, Lower-Middle Income, and Low Income). In 2022, 80 of the 217 countries and territories tracked by World Bank qualified as High Income, while 137 qualified as developing economies/countries.

It is worth noting that these two methods are not always entirely in sync with one another. For example, the U.N. would consider Argentina a developed country thanks to its 2019 HDI of .830, which is above the .800 threshold. However, World Bank classifies Argentina as Upper-Middle Income and still developing based upon its 2020 GNI of $9070, which is well below the $12,695 dividing line.

Difficulties faced by developing countries

Many developing countries encounter similar challenges, including income inequality and/or widespread poverty, low education and literacy levels, inadequate infrastructure, and government corruption. Their energy production can be inadequate and they may experience higher rates of violence against women. They may even struggle with health risks such as decreased access to safe water and sanitation, high levels of pollution, and an increased percentage of people with infectious diseases. The United Nations and many other aid organizations have established programs to help developing countries overcome these and other social, political, economic, and environmental challenges they face.

Download Table Data

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Country
HDI Tier
HDI 2021
World Bank Classification
GNI per Capita 2020 (current US$)
AlbaniaHigh0.796Upper-Middle Income$5,210
BulgariaHigh0.795Upper-Middle Income$9,630
GrenadaHigh0.795Upper-Middle Income$9,410
BarbadosHigh0.790High-Income $14,350
Antigua and BarbudaHigh0.788High-Income $13,750
SeychellesHigh0.785High-Income $12,200
Sri LankaHigh0.782Lower-Middle Income$3,720
Bosnia and HerzegovinaHigh0.780Upper-Middle Income$6,080
Saint Kitts and NevisHigh0.777High-Income $19,080
IranHigh0.774Lower-Middle Income$2,960
UkraineHigh0.773Lower-Middle Income$3,540
North MacedoniaHigh0.770Upper-Middle Income$5,750
ChinaHigh0.768Upper-Middle Income$10,550
Dominican RepublicHigh0.767Upper-Middle Income$7,260
MoldovaHigh0.767Upper-Middle Income$4,560
PalauHigh0.767High-Income $14,390
CubaHigh0.764Upper-Middle Income$8,630
PeruHigh0.762Upper-Middle Income$6,030
ArmeniaHigh0.759Upper-Middle Income$4,220
MexicoHigh0.758Upper-Middle Income$8,480
BrazilHigh0.754Upper-Middle Income$7,850
ColombiaHigh0.752Upper-Middle Income$5,790
MaldivesHigh0.747Upper-Middle Income$6,490
AlgeriaHigh0.745Lower-Middle Income$3,570
AzerbaijanHigh0.745Upper-Middle Income$4,480
TurkmenistanHigh0.745Upper-Middle Income$7,220
TongaHigh0.745Upper-Middle Income$5,190
EcuadorHigh0.740Upper-Middle Income$5,530
MongoliaHigh0.739Lower-Middle Income$3,740
EgyptHigh0.731Lower-Middle Income$3,000
TunisiaHigh0.731Lower-Middle Income$3,300
FijiHigh0.730Upper-Middle Income$4,890
SurinameHigh0.730Upper-Middle Income$4,620
UzbekistanHigh0.727Lower-Middle Income$1,740
JordanHigh0.720Upper-Middle Income$4,310
DominicaHigh0.720-
LibyaHigh0.718Upper-Middle Income$4,960
ParaguayHigh0.717Upper-Middle Income$5,180
PalestineHigh0.715not rated-
Saint LuciaHigh0.715Upper-Middle Income$8,560
GuyanaHigh0.714Upper-Middle Income$7,130
South AfricaHigh0.713Upper-Middle Income$6,010
JamaicaHigh0.709Upper-Middle Income$4,670
SamoaHigh0.707Lower-Middle Income$4,050
LebanonHigh0.706Upper-Middle Income$5,370
GabonHigh0.706Upper-Middle Income$7,030
IndonesiaHigh0.705Lower-Middle Income$3,870
VietnamHigh0.703Lower-Middle Income$2,650
PhilippinesMedium0.699Lower-Middle Income$3,430
BotswanaMedium0.693Upper-Middle Income-
BoliviaMedium0.692Lower-Middle Income$3,180
KyrgyzstanMedium0.692Lower-Middle Income$1,160
VenezuelaMedium0.691not rated$13,080
IraqMedium0.686Upper-Middle Income$4,680
TajikistanMedium0.685Lower-Middle Income$1,060
MoroccoMedium0.683Lower-Middle Income$2,980
BelizeMedium0.683Lower-Middle Income$4,110
El SalvadorMedium0.675Lower-Middle Income$3,630
NicaraguaMedium0.667Lower-Middle Income$1,850
BhutanMedium0.666Lower-Middle Income$2,840
Cape VerdeMedium0.662Lower-Middle Income$3,060
BangladeshMedium0.661Lower-Middle Income$2,030
TuvaluMedium0.641Upper-Middle Income$5,820
Marshall IslandsMedium0.639Upper-Middle Income$4,940
IndiaMedium0.633Lower-Middle Income$1,920
GhanaMedium0.632Lower-Middle Income$2,340
MicronesiaMedium0.628-
GuatemalaMedium0.627Upper-Middle Income$4,490
KiribatiMedium0.624Lower-Middle Income$2,960
HondurasMedium0.621Lower-Middle Income$2,180
Sao Tome and PrincipeMedium0.618Lower-Middle Income$2,060
NamibiaMedium0.615Upper-Middle Income$4,500
LaosMedium0.607Lower-Middle Income$2,520
VanuatuMedium0.607Lower-Middle Income$3,190
NepalMedium0.602Lower-Middle Income$1,190
EswatiniMedium0.597Lower-Middle Income$3,410
Equatorial GuineaMedium0.596Upper-Middle Income$5,810
CambodiaMedium0.593Lower-Middle Income$1,500
ZimbabweMedium0.593Lower-Middle Income$1,140
AngolaMedium0.586Lower-Middle Income$2,140
MyanmarMedium0.585Lower-Middle Income$1,350
SyriaMedium0.577Low-Income$1,170
CameroonMedium0.576Lower-Middle Income$1,520
KenyaMedium0.575Lower-Middle Income$1,840
Republic of the CongoMedium0.571Lower-Middle Income$1,770
ZambiaMedium0.565Lower-Middle Income$1,160
Solomon IslandsMedium0.564Lower-Middle Income$2,300
Papua New GuineaMedium0.558Lower-Middle Income$2,720
ComorosMedium0.558Lower-Middle Income$1,400
MauritaniaMedium0.556Lower-Middle Income$1,670
Ivory CoastMedium0.550Lower-Middle Income$2,280
TanzaniaLow0.549Lower-Middle Income$1,080
PakistanLow0.544Lower-Middle Income$1,270
TogoLow0.539Low-Income$920
NigeriaLow0.535Lower-Middle Income$2,000
HaitiLow0.535Lower-Middle Income$1,320
RwandaLow0.534Low-Income$780
UgandaLow0.525Low-Income$800
BeninLow0.525Lower-Middle Income$1,280
LesothoLow0.514Lower-Middle Income$1,100
MalawiLow0.512Low-Income$580
SenegalLow0.511Lower-Middle Income$1,430
DjiboutiLow0.509Lower-Middle Income$3,310
SudanLow0.508Low-Income$650
MadagascarLow0.501Low-Income$470
GambiaLow0.500Low-Income$750
EthiopiaLow0.498Low-Income$890
EritreaLow0.492Low-Income$600
LiberiaLow0.481Low-Income$570
DR CongoLow0.479Low-Income$550
AfghanistanLow0.478Low-Income$500
Sierra LeoneLow0.477Low-Income$510
GuineaLow0.465Low-Income$1,020
YemenLow0.455Low-Income$910
Burkina FasoLow0.449Low-Income$770
MozambiqueLow0.446Low-Income$460
MaliLow0.428Low-Income$830
BurundiLow0.426Low-Income$230
Central African RepublicLow0.404Low-Income$500
NigerLow0.400-
ChadLow0.394Low-Income$630
South SudanLow0.385Low-Income$1,090
Total0.637-
showing: 122 rows

How many countries are considered developing?

There are 122 developing countries in the world.

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