“Third world country” is an outdated and often offensive term that originally referred to countries that were not aligned with either the US‑led (First World) or Soviet‑led (Second World) blocs during the Cold War, not to a fixed list of poor countries. Today, international organizations instead use terms like “developing countries,” “low‑income countries,” or “least developed countries (LDCs)” rather than “third world.”
Why there is no fixed list
- The original political meaning covered all countries that stayed neutral in the Cold War, including some that are now rich, so it never corresponded to a simple “poor countries” list.
- After the Cold War, many people began using “third world” loosely for poorer or less industrialized states, but different authors and websites apply different criteria (income, Human Development Index, etc.), so their “lists” do not match.
Current official terminology
- The United Nations maintains an official list of “Least Developed Countries” (LDCs), currently 44 economies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific; these are among the poorest and most vulnerable countries and often substitute for what people casually call “third world.”
- Other bodies use categories such as “low‑income,” “lower‑middle‑income,” or “developing” countries, based on indicators like gross national income per person or the Human Development Index.
Examples instead of a “third world” list
- UN LDC examples in Africa include countries such as Niger, Chad, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Sudan; in Asia, examples include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Yemen; plus Haiti in the Caribbean and Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu in the Pacific.
- Broader “developing” or “low‑HDI” examples often cited include states like South Sudan, Central African Republic, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Madagascar, and Afghanistan, which rank at the lower end of the Human Development Index due to high poverty and limited access to services.
How to talk about these countries respectfully
- When you mean countries with low income or major development challenges, it is better to say “least developed countries,” “low‑income countries,” or “developing countries” instead of “third world,” because the older term is inaccurate and widely seen as derogatory.
- If you need a precise list, using the UN LDC list or a World Bank income group (for example “low‑income economies as classified by the World Bank for the current year”) gives a clear and respectful definition.
