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DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Developed countries are nations that have a high degree of industrialization and high socioeconomic development, based on criteria such as HDI and GDP.

Developed countries, also known as industrialized countries or first world countries, are those with high socioeconomic development.

The classification criteria of these nations take into account the degree of wealth, industrialization and development, the collection of goods and services through the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita income and social indicators, especially the Development Index Human Development (HDI).

Construct Countries

List of countries in all continents

Countries in Africa

Countries in Asia

Countries in Europe

Countries in Oceania

Countries in North America

Countries in South America

Characteristics of developed countries

→ Economy

Developed countries have high economic development and are highly industrialized. In relation to the sectors of the economy, they are represented by the tertiary (commercial activities) and quartenary (information services) sectors.

They have high GDP, which constitutes the monetary value of goods and services produced by the country in the period of one year. Per capita income in these countries is generally high, and its distribution is more homogeneous than that of underdeveloped and developing countries.

→ Society

Developed countries have good social indicators. The HDI, an indicator that assesses the levels of education, health and income, of these countries is close to 1. This value indicates good quality and life expectancy, a high degree of education and literacy and a high per capita income.

In addition, developed countries have low birth rates, mortality and infant mortality. Australia and New Zealand are two developed countries in Oceania as listed by Countryaah.

Examples from developed countries

→ According to economic criteria

  • United States – GDP: 19.39 trillion USD
  • Japan – GDP: 4.872 trillion USD
  • Canada – GDP: USD 1,653 trillion
  • Australia – GDP: USD 1.323 trillion

→ According to social criteria

  • Norway – HDI: 0.953
  • Switzerland – HDI: 0.944
  • Australia – HDI: 0.939
  • Ireland – HDI: 0.938

America’s developed countries

On the American continent, there are two developed countries:

  • United States: country with a high degree of industrialization, developed infrastructure and high productivity. It presents a high Gross Domestic Product (19.39 trillion dollars), representing about 24% of the world GDP, and HDI of 0.924.
  • Canada: country with one of the greatest wealth in the world. It represents the tenth largest economy in the world and is the United States’ largest trading partner. It has a GDP of 1.653 trillion dollars and an HDI of 0.926.

Developing countries

Developing countries are those that show significant economic and social growth, recent and growing industrialization, in addition to a significant increase in the monetary value of goods produced (GDP).

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, China and Mexico to be developing countries. These nations have demonstrated significant economic development in the industrial and export sectors, in addition to improvements in social aspects. Despite these advances, they still present several problems in the sectors of education and health.

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Underdeveloped countries

The United Nations (UN) classifies countries with low social and economic development as underdeveloped. The social indicators of these nations reveal problems such as poor quality of life, deficits in health and education, conditions of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and high rates of unemployment.

Usually, the mortality and birth rates in these countries are high, demonstrating social fragility. In addition, the HDI value is closer to 0, when compared to that of developed countries.

With regard to the economy, underdeveloped countries have low GDP, in addition to low and poorly distributed per capita income. They have a low level of industrialization, depending on developed economies.

The economy of these countries is considered vulnerable and is based on the primary sector, through agriculture and livestock, and the services sector.

According to the UN, examples of developing countries are: Sierra Leone, Niger, Haiti and Afghanistan

Developed and underdeveloped countries

Developed countries Underdeveloped countries
Characteristics They have a high degree of industrialization, high per capita income and excellent social indicators. They have HDI close to 1, indicating good quality and life expectancy, as well as educational opportunities. They have a low degree of industrialization and low per capita income. Social indicators point to problems. The HDI is close to 0, indicating low quality and life expectancy, economic vulnerability and reduced educational opportunities.
Gross Domestic Product High Low
Economic development They have economic dominance, and the development of their economy is stable. They generate revenue through the industrial sector. They depend on developed countries to grow economically. The economy is predominantly agricultural, and revenues are generated through the agriculture and service sectors.
Income distribution Homogeneous Heterogeneous
Quality of life Good Fair/poor
Life expectancy High Reduced
HDI High Reduced
Education High literacy rate High illiteracy rate
Demographic indicators Reduced birth rates, mortality and infant mortality. High birth rates, mortality and infant mortality.
Examples Norway, United States, Switzerland Sierra Leone, Niger, Haiti

HDI ranking

According to the UN, the Human Development Index ranking is divided into:

  1. Too high
  • Norway: 0.953
  • Switzerland: 0.944
  • Australia: 0.939
  • Ireland: 0.938
  • Germany: 0.936
  1. High
  • Iran: 0.798
  • Palau: 0.798
  • Mexico: 0.744
  • Venezuela: 0.761
  • Brazil: 0.759
  1. Medium
  • Philippines: 0.699
  • Egypt: 0.696
  • Bolivia: 0.693
  • India: 0.640
  1. Low
  • Uganda: 0.516
  • Haiti: 0.498
  • Congo: 0.457
  • Niger: 0.354
  • Sierra Leone: 0.413

The 50 countries with the fewest mobile phones in the world

Rank Country Number of Mobile phones
1 Liberia (Africa) 12,000
2 Guinea-Bissau (Africa) 13,000
3 Bhutan (Asia) 22,000
4 Papua New Guinea (Australia-Oceania) 31,000
5 Equatorial Guinea (Africa) 46,900
6 Central African Republic (Africa) 56,000
7 Djibouti (Africa) 58,000
8 Niger (Africa) 63,000
9 Iraq (Asia) 78,000
10 Afghanistan (Asia) 87,000
11 Burundi (Africa) 98,000
12 Nepal (Asia) 104,000
13 Laos (Asia) 105,000
14 Eritrea (Africa) 106,000
15 Tajikistan (Asia) 122,000
16 Swaziland (Africa) 126,000
17 Turkmenistan (Asia) 130,000
18 Chad (Africa) 134,000
19 Kyrgyzstan (Asia) 152,000
20 Myanmar (Asia) 153,000
21 Fiji (Australia-Oceania) 161,000
22 Brunei Darussalam (Asia) 174,000
23 Bahamas (North America) 181,000
24 Libya (Africa) 188,000
25 Angola (Africa) 189,000
26 Armenia (Asia) 211,000
27 Guyana (South America) 216,000
28 Sierra Leone (Africa) 226,000
29 Guinea (Africa) 246,000
30 Gambia (Africa) 250,000
31 Malawi (Africa) 274,000
32 Ethiopia (Africa) 276,000
33 Suriname (South America) 276,000
34 Iceland (Europe) 285,000
35 Lesotho (Africa) 289,000
36 Rwanda (Africa) 298,000
37 Mongolia (Asia) 316,000
38 Haiti (North America) 330,000
39 Martinique (North America) 354,000
40 Burkina Faso (Africa) 358,000
41 Guadeloupe (North America) 364,000
42 Malta (Europe) 370,000
43 Benin (Africa) 410,000
44 Namibia (Africa) 419,000
45 Nicaragua (North America) 424,000
46 Gabon (Africa) 440,000
47 Zambia (Africa) 453,000
48 Congo (Africa) 462,000
49 Zimbabwe (Africa) 470,000
50 Togo (Africa) 470,000

Source: Abbreviationfinder.org

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