Map Options

Color Scheme:
map placeholder
HDI 2021

0.350

0.400

0.450

0.500

0.550

0.600

0.650

0.700

Click on a country for details.

Third World Countries 2024

What is a Third World country? The answer to this question varies depending upon when in history one asks the question. The meaning of "third world" has evolved considerably since it was first introduced more than half a century ago.

The original meaning of Third World

Originally coined by French historian Alfred Sauvy in 1952*, "Third World" was part of the "three worlds" label system used to describe a country's political alliances. The "First World" countries were the largely democratic NATO countries such as the United States, Japan, and much of Western Europe. The "Second World" countries were the Communist Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, China, and their allies. Finally, "Third World" countries were countries that remained neutral and allied with neither side.

The modern definition of Third World

However, the meaning of Third World changed after the fall of the Soviet Union (and the end of the Cold War) in the early 1990s. "Third World" lost its political root and came to refer to economically poor and non-industrialized countries, as well as newly industrialized countries. Under this modernized definition, Third World countries are those that display economic, social, political, and environmental issues such as high poverty rates, economic instability, and lack of essential human resources compared to the rest of the world.

This shifting definition has led to significant confusion as to which countries could correctly be called Third World today. For example, going by the historical definition, nations such as Finland, Sweden, Ireland, and Switzerland were not aligned with either NATO or the Communist Bloc, and so were Third World countries. However, all four countries are economically prosperous today, and as such would not be considered Third World under the current modern definition of the term.

Adding insult to inaccuracy, when used in its modern context, Third World is considered to be a derogatory term that degrades countries which are developing and/or poor. This combination of confusion and disrespect has made Third World a largely obsolete term.

Alternatives to the term Third World

Instead of describing countries as Third World, most modern speakers and writers favor more accurate, inoffensive terms such as "developing countries" and "least-developed countries" (calculated by the United Nations Human Development Index) or "low-income countries" (based upon World Bank data).

The United Nations Member States Monaco, Nauru, North Korea, and Somalia are typically excluded from the Human Development Index. Were they to be included, all but Monaco would likely rank as developing or least-developed countries.

*Some sources dispute Sauvy's statement that he invented the "three world" system and its related terms. A few sources claim Charles De Gaulle said it first, while others maintain that the United Nations had already begun using the terms in 1945 to describe the economic development of various countries.

The 10 countries with the lowest human development indexes:

Country
HDI 2021
South Sudan0.385
Chad0.394
Niger0.400
Central African Republic0.404
Mali0.428
Mozambique0.446
Yemen0.455
Guinea0.465
Sierra Leone0.477
Afghanistan0.478

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Country
HDI 2021
HDI 2020
South Sudan0.3850.386
Chad0.3940.397
Niger0.4000.401
Central African Republic0.4040.407
Mali0.4280.427
Mozambique0.4460.453
Yemen0.4550.460
Guinea0.4650.466
Sierra Leone0.4770.475
Afghanistan0.4780.483
Liberia0.4810.480
Eritrea0.4920.494
Gambia0.5000.501
Sudan0.5080.510
Djibouti0.5090.510
Senegal0.5110.513
Malawi0.5120.516
Lesotho0.5140.521
Uganda0.5250.524
Benin0.5250.524
Rwanda0.5340.532
Haiti0.5350.540
Togo0.5390.535
Pakistan0.5440.543
Tanzania0.5490.548
Ivory Coast0.5500.551
Papua New Guinea0.5580.560
Comoros0.5580.562
Solomon Islands0.5640.565
Zambia0.5650.570
Republic of the Congo0.5710.574
Kenya0.5750.578
Cameroon0.5760.578
Myanmar0.5850.600
Angola0.5860.590
Cambodia0.5930.596
Zimbabwe0.5930.600
Equatorial Guinea0.5960.599
Eswatini0.5970.610
Nepal0.6020.604
Laos0.6070.608
Vanuatu0.6070.608
Namibia0.6150.633
Sao Tome and Principe0.6180.619
Kiribati0.6240.623
Guatemala0.6270.635
Micronesia0.6280.629
India0.6330.642
Tuvalu0.6410.639
Bangladesh0.6610.655
Bhutan0.6660.668
Nicaragua0.6670.654
El Salvador0.6750.672
Morocco0.6830.679
Belize0.6830.690
Tajikistan0.6850.664
Iraq0.6860.679
Venezuela0.6910.695
Bolivia0.6920.694
Kyrgyzstan0.6920.689
Botswana0.6930.713
Philippines0.6990.710
Total0.5690.571
showing: 62 rows

How many third world countries are there?

There are 152 developing, also known as third-world, countries in the world as of the time of this writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources