What is a 3rd world country. Third World countries. third world. List of developing countries according to the UN

Traditionally, the world has long been divided into groups of countries. There are first world countries - or the "golden billion", second world countries - many of them used to be socialist, and third world countries - or developing ones. In recent years, scientific circles have also begun to single out countries of the fourth world - these are the poorest states that cannot be called developing, because they do not develop anywhere at all, but slowly decay.

In addition to dividing countries into groups on an economic basis, it would be more correct to divide countries into 4 groups on a civilizational basis. The most intelligent, civilized, cultured countries, in which in all settlements everything is ordered, written and tested, technologies are debugged to automatism - this is the first world.

The second world is where cities have a centralized layout, but there is often no novelty and luxury, the population is not always well educated, but nevertheless quite smart and savvy, access to the main benefits of civilization like water, light, communications is present.


The third world is a huge number of countries, in principle, very different. They are united by the primitiveness and downtroddenness of the local population ( hallmark many such countries - shouting "Uh" or "Hello" at the sight of a foreigner and pointing fingers at him, which is not customary in the first and second world), people are native, wild and often primitive, villages are often characterized by medieval poverty and primitivism, and the cities are chaotic and absurd - with sidewalks clogged with vendors, dirty courtyards, streets crowded with cars. With education and money in such countries are often problems.

Fourth world countries - in which there are no basic things like light, water, telephone, food and shops, people often do not have clothes.

Now, after the classification, I will try to sort many countries into these groups. What is the first world, and where is the third?

So let's start with Europe.
1. First world. France is the classic first world. In the same category, you can safely include Belgium, Holland, Germany. The first world is also Eastern European Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as Hungary. World 1 includes Scandinavia, and other other countries of the West. Europe. Of course, only Southern Italy is in question ...

2. Second world. The classic second world is Russia, Ukraine. From Europe, this group includes Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Montenegro, Serbia, Lithuania, Belarus, Estonia (the last four countries are slightly similar in some elements to the first world, but they are still very far from it). Despite low salaries and a weak economy, Moldova can rightly be considered a second world. IN Lately China is also moving from the third to the second world, but this process is lengthy.

2+. Slovakia stands apart here, which is in a transitional stage between the second and the first world - it is stuck somewhere in the middle between them.

3. Third world. The classic third world is Egypt, India, Pakistan, Mongolia and most of the countries to the south of them. Many Arab countries, such as Syria, can also be included in this group. Interesting countries Central Asia, such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Being essentially the third world, they retained in their appearance some features of the second world (in which they, at least in large settlements, were under the USSR). Nevertheless, these remnants of the second world are diminishing in them, and the third is becoming more and more pronounced. The only country in the region in which elements of the second world are preserved in quantity and will remain in the future, although the country itself is rather in the third, is Kazakhstan.

3+. Some countries are on the way between the third world and the second and are completely stuck on this road without a chance to move forward - the characteristic countries for such a "Twine" are Turkey and Kosovo. On the same road, but somewhat closer to the third world, are Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

It is also curious that there is one country from the third world on the European continent - this is Albania. Iran is also curious - being so far practically a perfect third world, it has a chance in a few decades to become halfway between the third and second worlds - that is, to approach Turkey, there is some tendency towards that.

I can talk about the fourth world only theoretically, I have not been to these countries yet, but it traditionally includes Zimbabwe, a Democrat. rep. Congo, Chad, Afghanistan. This is what is called - there is nowhere worse.

Here is such a division, here is such a classification. Every time you visit new country, it is very interesting in the first couple of days to classify it, and place it on one of these four shelves. Or even, in a difficult situation, hang between two shelves. :)

Term "third World" arose during the period of active confrontation between the two systems, capitalist and socialist. Since many states remained aloof from direct participation in this struggle (but they were indirectly involved in it to one degree or another), they began to be conditionally called the “third world”. There was another term - "developing countries". The states of the "Third World" usually include the former colonial and dependent countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, including those that (like the Latin American states), having won formal independence quite a long time ago, have not been able to achieve financial independence. and economic independence.

Thus, the existence of the “third world” is closely connected with the unfolding in the 20th century. crash colonial system. Already in its first decades, a wave of national liberation movements and revolutions swept through a number of Eastern countries. True, after the complete collapse of the Ottoman Empire by the end of the First World War, its national “outskirts” (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc.) did not gain independence and actually became colonies of France and England under the guise of so-called mandated territories. But even there, the struggle for complete liberation soon began. And in Turkey, the center of the former empire, as a result of the revolution of 1918-1923. active modernization began in all spheres of life.

It should be noted that at that stage, Soviet Russia (USSR) provided not only moral, but also diplomatic and financial support to Turkey, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, China and other countries of the East, who fought to strengthen their independence. Of course, the leadership of the USSR pursued its own goals, but for many residents of the countries of the East, the socialist construction that unfolded in the USSR was a powerful incentive for democratic transformations in their states as well.

A very peculiar form of "non-violent resistance" was taken by the national movement in colonial India. It was headed by the outstanding politician Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, who was guided by the spirit of Buddhism and partly by the ideas of Leo Tolstoy about non-resistance to evil by violence. Gandhi and his closest associates periodically organized all-India actions civil disobedience: refusal to cooperate with the British colonial authorities, various mass boycotts, etc.

However, almost until the middle of the XX century. the colonial system as a whole remained unshakable. But after the Second World War, a new upsurge of national liberation movements began, which assumed an irreversible character. Weakened by the exhausting war, the powers of the West resisted this onslaught with difficulty. In addition, in a number of countries (Indo-China, the Philippines, Malaya, Burma, Indonesia) occupied during the war years by militaristic Japan, a powerful anti-Japanese struggle unfolded, which later assumed an anti-colonial character in general and led to the victory of independence.


But it was not only the weakening of the colonial powers as a result of the war. The authorities of the former metropolises sometimes preferred to voluntarily "grant" independence to their possessions, not without reason, hoping to extract the same (or even greater) profits from them through financial and economic impact. Thus, England, having granted independence to India (1947), achieved the division of the country along religious lines. As a result, Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan arose, between which conflicts and even wars broke out more than once, leading to their mutual weakening. This, of course, had a detrimental effect on the development of both countries and for a long time allowed England and other capitalist powers to maintain their economic positions in the region.

Attempts by other colonial powers to save their empires from collapse by force (military) did not lead to anything. Holland, after several years of bloody war, was forced to grant independence to Indonesia (1949). France also collapsed in the two most difficult wars in Indochina (1946-1954) and in Algeria (1954-1962). And by the mid-70s. the oldest colonial empire, the Portuguese, also collapsed, although before that the metropolis tried with all its might to maintain its possessions in Africa (Angola and Mozambique). With the independence of Namibia (1990), the history of colonialism ended.

As a result of decolonization, which took on the most rapid pace in the 60s, several dozen new states of the “third world” arose on the planet, in many respects different in their civilizational characteristics and level of development. But the problems they faced had much in common. Long years colonial (or other) dependencies have shaken or even undermined the traditional structures of these countries. Their isolation from outside world existence became almost impossible. And consequently, the involvement of the countries of the "third world" in modern integration processes has become, in a certain sense, inevitable.

The interaction of former colonial and dependent countries with highly industrialized powers is, in fact, their clash with the "challenge" of industrial civilization (moreover, at the stage of its transition to a new, post-industrial phase). Of course, it is not easy for developing countries to give a worthy “response” to such a “challenge”: they have to create a new economic structure, look for optimal forms of statehood, get involved in very difficult international political (and other) relations, learn to interact with “foreign” cultural traditions, without losing their national identity.

The countries of the "third world" can, with a certain degree of conditionality, be divided into several groups (blocks), based on their civilizational specifics. What are these groups?

Tropical Africa

More than 40 states emerged on this rather compact territory of Africa, the borders of which basically coincide with the borders of the former colonies. In the not so distant past, this part of the continent was inhabited by many primitive and semi-primitive tribes, among which in some places there were centers of early, immature statehood. In Africa today there are up to 500 different ethnic groups (from many millions to very few), with their own language and self-identification, that is, with a kind of division of the world into “us” and “them”.

This diversity is the source of almost continuous internal conflicts that shake the young African states, where ethnically unrelated tribes coexist side by side, warring with each other. The authorities of these countries are in an extremely difficult position: after all, they are forced to constantly maintain a fragile balance of power. The most common type of government has become a parliamentary republic headed by a president, with mandatory representation in parliament. all ethnic groups. Without this, political stability is impossible, the mechanisms for maintaining which, however, have not yet been worked out. Therefore, military coups and civil wars are still a common occurrence in this region, and outwardly democratic forms of government are far from always filled with real content and are able to save from military dictatorship.

Even greater difficulties are associated with economic development, which so far directly depends on natural resources distributed in different countries continent is very different. Thus, in the Republic of South Africa (SAR), the most developed African power (it is more correct to refer not to the “third world”, but to the developed capitalist countries), quite a few high level life of not only the white, but also the African population (in comparison with other countries in the region). Large oil deposits are discovered good prospects ahead of Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, a number of other countries also have good natural resources. The export of such products as coffee, tea, cocoa beans, rubber, etc., also plays an important role. Economic growth rates of countries Tropical Africa back in the 80s. kept on average at the level of 3-4% per year, tend to increase.

But in this region there are countries that are deprived natural resources, which, along with other reasons, negatively affects their development. A number of such countries at one time (not without the influence of the USSR) paid tribute to the so-called socialist orientation. However, the complete nationalization of the economy, forced cooperation of the peasantry, artificial attempts to create a "proletariat" without a proper economic base, as a rule, did not bring positive results. Sometimes, however, it was possible to create "mixed" models, where elements of socialism interspersed into the essentially capitalist economy. But in general, the vast majority of the states of the region today prefer the market model, and this is already beginning to bear fruit.

Nevertheless, the general underdevelopment of the economy of the countries of Tropical Africa, low labor productivity and culture (in general) are of concern to the world community. After all, Africa is experiencing a huge increase in population, and by 2010 the number of Africans may increase to 1 billion. But so far, only a few countries on the continent are able to feed themselves. This, in turn, increases the debt of Africans to the West (and, therefore, dependence on it), but in the end, Africa will have to solve development problems primarily through the mobilization of its own internal forces.

Arab countries

The multi-million and colorful Arab world includes a number of countries in Africa (Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania) and Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and etc.). All of them are largely united on the basis of ethnic community and powerful civilizational traditions, in which the leading role is played by Islam. However, the level of socio-economic development Arab countries difficult to call homogeneous.

Countries with huge oil reserves (especially the small Arabian states) are in a privileged position. The standard of living there is quite high and stable, and the once impoverished and backward Arabian monarchies, thanks to the flow of petrodollars, have turned into prosperous countries with the highest per capita incomes. And if at first they only exploited the generous gifts of nature, today the psychology of "rentier" is giving way to a sound and rational strategy. A vivid example of this is Kuwait, where billions of petrodollars are invested in programs of socio-economic transformation, in the purchase of the latest technology, etc. Saudi Arabia and some other countries have taken the same path.

At the opposite pole are, for example, Sudan and Mauritania, which practically do not surpass poor African countries in terms of development. The system of mutual assistance somewhat softens these contrasts: a fair amount of petrodollars from the Arabian states is pumped over to the poorest Arab countries to support them.

Of course, the success of the Arab countries depends not only on the availability of natural oil reserves, but also on the development model they have chosen. The Arabs, like some African states, have already passed the stage of "socialist orientation", and today there is no longer a choice between socialism and capitalism. The issue of preserving the traditions of Islam and combining this with the attitude towards Western values ​​and the influence of Western culture is now perceived much more urgently and sharply in the Arab world.

Islamic fundamentalism(i.e., an extremely conservative trend in a particular religion), which noticeably revived in the last quarter of the 20th century. and covering, along with other regions, almost the entire Arab world, calls for a return to the purity of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, to restore the lost norms of life that are prescribed by the Koran. There is something more behind this: on the one hand, the desire to strengthen their civilizational identity, and on the other hand, to oppose the inviolability of tradition to the onslaught modern world changing before our eyes. In some countries (for example, in Egypt), despite the increased frequency in the 90s. bursts of fundamentalism, a Eurocapitalist path has been chosen, which leads to an inevitable change in traditional foundations. In other states (in particular, in the Arabian monarchies), a deep adherence to Islam is combined with the assimilation of only the external standards of Western life, and by no means by the entire population. Finally, there is a third option: the complete rejection of everything that brings with it the influence of the West. This is the case, for example, in Iraq. There militant fundamentalism combined with aggressive foreign policy(which, by the way, caused a rebuff even from a number of Arab countries) inflicted in the 80-90s. a heavy blow to the economy of the state and seriously slowed down its development.

A somewhat similar situation arises in countries associated with the Arab one religion- Islam (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan). The differences between them are also largely determined by their relationship to the Western model. If Turkey consistently continues to follow the Euro-capitalist path, then in Iran the course towards modernization and Europeanization, begun by Shah Reza Pahlavi back in the mid-20s, led to mass discontent half a century later. As a result, Iran was proclaimed an Islamic republic (1979) and became one of the main strongholds of fundamentalism. The coming century will show what the future holds for Islamic fundamentalism and whether its adherents will be able to find a special way of development without exposing their countries to economic and political disasters.

Developing countries, the list of which includes the states of Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe, are a special association of states that differ in the history of their development and have a special specification in the conduct of the economy. The key developing countries are India, Brazil, China and Mexico.

Developing countries are approaching a new stage in their development, playing the role of one of the main actors in world relations.

The development of young states was facilitated by the rise in indicators in the world economy. They also insist on equal conditions between participants in international business. Today, their economy is aimed at increasing the indicators of trade, the role in world trade is constantly growing.

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Third world countries, who gets on this list?

What does the very concept of a 3rd world country mean? Wikipedia answers this question briefly - countries that did not take part in cold war. Initially, the term "Third World" had just such a meaning. Now the third world is called countries with economic backwardness, developing their economies.

States in Latin America, Asia and Africa belong to this classification.

I must say that this is a larger number of representatives of these continents.

The total population is about seventy-five percent and lives in most of the hemisphere.

Now let's figure out which country is considered a developing country and why.

Key Features of Developing Countries

Let's try to name them all:

  • they are characterized by a relatively low standard of living;
  • there is no "middle class";
  • the financial investments of rich people are many times higher than the incomes of ordinary citizens;
  • foreign investors are not attracted, as there is no legislative framework;
  • the tax reform has not been improved;
  • the banking system is not developed;
  • an effective management apparatus has not been created;
  • due to small salary, most of the citizens cannot afford a nutritious diet and required level medicine;
  • high unemployment - more than thirty-five percent of the population do not have a permanent income;
  • third world countries have a very high birth rate - from twenty to fifty born per one thousand population;
  • underage young people (and this is more than 40% of the total) do not have a job, part-time job or any business that brings at least some kind of income;
  • very high mortality rate.

Developing countries - definition

Developing countries include:

  1. Those states that have a low level of GDP per capita. The comparison is with Western states and second world countries (more developed socialist).
  2. States with underdeveloped economy and scientific and technical potential. At the same time, there are sufficient reserves of natural resources.
  3. Some of their representatives are former colonies. In Asia - Nepal, Bhutan and Yemen. In Latin America - Haiti, representatives of the African continent - Niger, Sudan, Chad, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mauritania and others.

List of developing countries

So, we have given the basic definition and listed characteristics developing countries of the world.

Their list is divided into:

  • first world countries;
  • second world states (many socialist, and our Russia);
  • 3rd world countries or developing countries.

Let's give a list of developing or classical developing countries of the world (they are one and the same).

The list is as follows:

  1. Representatives of the classical third world in Europe are: Pakistan, Mongolia, India, Egypt and countries to the south of them, many Arab: Syria, Albania, Iran. Characteristically: there are sources of accumulation of resources within the country, they are diverse, but the population is on the verge of starvation.
  2. The following representatives are oil-refining states:, Saudi Arabia,. Characteristically, only one economic sector is developed - oil production and export. There are large deposits of oil products in the territories. The government does not care about the development of other industries, which are not even reflected in the statistics.
  3. African countries include: Tanzania, Togo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, West Sahara; Asia: Laos and Kampuchea; Latin America: Honduras, Guatemala, Tahiti, Guiana. Characteristically: there is the right amount of resources, but it is not enough to fully provide the population. Lack of external investment and underdeveloped production. The government is focused on importing products and has no interest in developing its own industry. A large increase in population does not improve the level of income, but causes starvation of people and increased mortality. This group supplies inexpensive raw materials, residents often travel to other countries (1st and 2nd world) for low-paid jobs.
  4. Central Asia -, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,. Characteristically: there are signs of the states of the 2nd world, left over from being part of the Soviet republic. These elements decrease, do not develop.

Emerging Economies - List for 2018


Representative rankings are as follows:

  1. China has been in the lead since 1978. Its economy is considered to be one of the fastest growing. The average income per person is $3,700.
  2. India is in second place with a GDP of $1.3 trillion. dollars. The agricultural sector (rice, cotton, tea, potatoes) and industry (textile production, oil refining industry) are developed.
  3. Russia - the main income is the export of oil and gas.

The "numbering of the worlds" appeared in the middle of the 20th century, when there was a threat of the outbreak of a third world war, which led to the formation of two camps - capitalist and socialist. Third world countries, the list of which practically does not change, are now considered to be developing states, but originally something else was meant by this term.

To fully understand the issue, one should understand some features of the geopolitical structure of the world.

Until recently, all the states existing on planet Earth were divided into three groups:

  1. "Golden billion" - capitalist countries with a developed economy, a high standard of living, powerful army and other signs of a civilized state.
  2. Former countries of the socialist camp. First of all, this is Russia and all other states and republics that wanted to build communism through socialism.
  3. Developing countries with a low standard of living, a "thin" budget, not very good social sphere etc., but which are in their essence independent economic entities with all state attributes.

"The Fourth World"

It is noteworthy that now more and more often from the lips of political scientists, sociologists and scientists one can hear the term “countries of the fourth world”.

It is customary to refer to them the poorest states that have nothing but sovereignty, a capital and borders. The population is so poor that they have not only cell phones but also simple things that are vital for every person.

The constant shortage of food, medicines, clothing, water - this is exactly what characterizes the "fourth world", which can be safely attributed to Afghanistan and some African states and republics (Zimbabwe, Congo, Chad, etc.).

"Third World": how it all began

In 1952, the French scholar Alfred Sauvy wrote an article where he appealed to the then obscure term "third world states."

This is interesting! This is how Sauvy called countries that are not members of either NATO or related to the Warsaw Pact organization and took a neutral position.

As the people say, "neither for the Reds, nor for the Whites." The two opposing camps constantly tried to lure the neutrals to their side, for which various instruments were used, for example, fraternal help and donations for the starving children of Africa.

In the 70s. of the last century, an attempt was made to make an independent international political force out of the third world, but it was not crowned with particular success, which can be explained different reasons, among which is the fragmentation and difference of mentalities. What are third world countries now?

According to the terminology of the UN, these are developing states that can be divided into three groups according to the territorial and at the same time economic basis:

  • Latin American countries. Each of them has a lot of problems, but to date, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico have managed to achieve good results.
  • Asian states. They belong to the category of moderately developed, although this can be argued, given the latest achievements of the Celestial Empire.
  • African countries. underdeveloped in economic terms, but they do not have any problems with demographics, which seriously aggravates the situation.

Signs of third world countries

All developing countries, regardless of geographic location and individual characteristics of the way of life, have something in common. The colonial period is exactly what contributed to the formation of common features.

After independence, there was a massive transition from manual labor to wholesale industrialization, as a result of which some industries have gone far ahead, while others have been left far behind. Economic development took place, but with a gross violation of the sequence of phases.

Therefore, to this day modern technologies peacefully coexist with hard physical labor, and an example of this is the Kingdom of Thailand.

Important! Third world countries are not the best option for investors, because just one inopportune military coup can jeopardize the success of the entire event.

Political instability impedes development, so governments have to raise funds on their own to take on the role of an investor. This is not easy to do, because the entire social sphere hangs on a meager budget.

Irregular symptoms:

  1. Mineral deposits are concentrated on the territory, but there is no possibility for their efficient extraction.
  2. The scientific potential is underdeveloped.
  3. Unemployment.
  4. The structure of society that has not changed over the centuries ( social groups formed according to a number of criteria, for example, community or kinship).
  5. The absence of a middle class. A person is either rich or poor, although it cannot be said that there is no intermediate link at all. It is there, but it is weakly expressed.
  6. Mortality and birth rates are quite high.
  7. Complete or partial lack of medical care.
  8. The tax and banking systems are poorly developed, and the management system is experiencing a constant shortage of personnel, which is explained by the lack of qualified specialists in all areas.
  9. Vague legislation.
  10. Poor social and living conditions for life.
  11. Low level of education.
  12. Civil wars, popular unrest, dictatorial regimes, military conflicts.

List of third world states

According to the World Bank

The classification is updated annually on the first of July. The World Bank for this, it uses such a macroeconomic parameter as the level of gross national income per capita.

This allows you to determine not only compliance with the conditions of lending, but also the affiliation of a particular subject. What are third world countries, according to bankers?

States with low and middle income per capita. It is noteworthy that this list is non-standard and may vary depending on the economic situation.

For example, in 2012 Russian Federation was in the upper-middle-income group, and a year later, in the high-income group. The World Bank ranks Russia among the developed countries.

According to the IMF

Which countries belong to the third world according to the IMF? International monetary fund divides all powers into two groups: industrialized (industrial) and developing, with an emerging market.

It is worth mentioning that this qualification is applicable only to IMF member states, and since Cuba, China, Afghanistan, Liberia, Somalia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina are not, their economic indicators are not taken into account.

Along with groups, there are also subgroups that are formed taking into account analytical, financial, and geographical factors.

According to analysts, all CIS countries are developing countries, but they have nothing in common with the Middle East and Africa, which are in other subgroups.

According to the UN

The classification is based on the basic economic indicators, and Russia is not included in the list of "third-rate" states. For convenience, all Third World countries are primarily classified according to geographic location, For example, North Africa(Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia).

As for the "Europeans" and "Asians" countries, everything is not so simple here. For example, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and most of their neighbors are unambiguously included in the system, which is usually called the "third world".

But where should Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and a number of other former Soviet republics, absolutely not belonging to this category, because they were once part of the Warsaw Pact, as well as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc., is incomprehensible.

IN former countries the socialist camp retained clear features of the "second world", which are gradually disappearing. Even Wikipedia, being a fairly authoritative online publication, gets confused in the testimony and cannot give an intelligible answer. Complicating the situation is the fact that some states occupy an intermediate position. AND a prime example that is China, which now lives on the border of the third and second worlds.

Useful video

Summing up

All classifications are conditional, but this does not mean that the US or EU member states can be identified as third world states, because they do not have "third-rate" features. Many people are under the impression that the labels of the "Third World" on many states are stuck forever, and this list is unlikely to undergo major changes in the near future.

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Third World countries

At the same time, a number of very serious problems arose for the liberated countries, called developing countries, or Third World countries. These problems are not only regional, but also global in nature, and therefore can be solved only with the active participation of all countries of the world community.

Developing countries, in accordance with the fairly flexible classification of the United Nations, include most of the world's countries, with the exception of developed industrial countries.

Despite the huge variety of economic life, the countries of the Third World have similar characteristics that allow them to be grouped into this category. The main one is the colonial past, the consequences of which can be found in the economy, politics, and culture of these countries.

They have one way of formation operating structure industry - the widespread predominance of manual production during the colonial period and the program of transition to industrial methods of production after independence.

Therefore, in developing countries, pre-industrial and industrial types of production, as well as production based on the latest achievements scientific and technological revolution.

But basically the first two types predominate. The economy of all countries of the Third World is characterized by inharmonious development of the sectors of the national economy, which is also explained by the fact that they have not gone through successive phases of economic development in full, as leading countries.

Most developing countries are characterized by a policy of etatism, i.e. direct state intervention in the economy in order to accelerate its growth. The lack of a sufficient amount of private investment and foreign investment forces the state to take on the functions of an investor.

True, in recent years, many developing countries have begun to implement a policy of denationalization of enterprises - privatization, supported by measures to stimulate the private sector: preferential taxation, import liberalization and protectionism against the most important privately owned enterprises.

Despite important General characteristics, uniting developing countries, they can be conditionally divided into several groups of the same type. At the same time, it is necessary to be guided by such criteria as: the structure of the country's economy, exports and imports, the degree of openness of the country and its involvement in the world economy, some features of the state's economic policy.

Least developed countries. The least developed countries include a number of states in Tropical Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Chad, Togo, Tanzania, Somalia, Western Sahara), Asia (Kampuchea, Laos), Latin America (Tahiti, Guatemala, Guiana, Honduras, etc.). These countries are characterized by low or even negative growth rates.

The structure of the economy of these countries is dominated by the agricultural sector (up to 80-90%), although it is not able to meet domestic needs for food and raw materials.

The low profitability of the main sector of the economy does not allow relying on internal sources of accumulation for such necessary investments in the development of production, training of qualified work force, improvement of technology, etc.

The least developed countries are characterized underdevelopment market mechanism. This is due to routine Agriculture(Employed on average 80% of the economically active population, which creates only 42% of the gross domestic product, the underdevelopment of industry, the low purchasing power of the population).

Most of the national capital, however, is concentrated in the commercial sphere. However, he prefers to occupy the niche of trade in imported goods and not invest in national production due to high degree risk.

The economy of this group of countries is characterized by the underdevelopment of the production, auxiliary infrastructure, transport network, electric power industry, communication system, banking, which does not at all contribute to attracting foreign investment and hinders the development of the economy based on meager domestic savings. Moreover, the 80-90s. there has been a trend towards a decrease in the inflow of foreign investment into their economy, which thereby becomes less open.

Does not contribute to the openness of the economy and structure foreign trade. All countries in this group are both exporters of agricultural products, the prices of which are most subject to fluctuations in the external market, and the largest importers of industrial products.

The demographic situation has a negative impact on the economic development of these countries. High population growth rates contribute to the preservation low level income hinder the growth of purchasing power. And low agricultural productivity, combined with population growth, leads to food shortages and hunger.

In the world economy, the least developed countries take the place of the periphery, performing the functions of suppliers of raw materials and cheap labor.

Countries with an average level of development. Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, the Philippines, Indonesia, Peru, Colombia, and others are included in a large group of developing countries with an average level of economic development. The structure of the economy of these countries is characterized by a large share of industry compared to agricultural sector, more developed domestic and foreign trade.

This group of countries has great potential for development due to the presence of internal sources of accumulation. These countries do not face the same acute problem of poverty and hunger. Their place in the world economy is determined by a significant technological gap with developed countries and large external debt.

oil producing countries. Oil-producing countries are distinguished by significant specifics of the economy: Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United United Arab Emirates and others who previously wore character traits lagging states. The world's largest oil reserves, actively exploited in these countries, allowed them to quickly become one of the richest (in terms of annual per capita income) states in the world.

However, the structure of the economy as a whole is characterized by extreme one-sidedness, imbalance, and therefore potential vulnerability. Along with the high development of the extractive industry, other industries do not really play a significant role in the economy.

In the system of the world economy, these countries firmly occupy the place of the largest oil exporters. Largely due to this, this group of countries is also becoming the largest international banking center.



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