Everything about Least Developed Countries totally explained
Least Developed Countries (
LDCs or
Fourth World countries) are
countries which according to the
United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of
socioeconomic development, with the lowest
Human Development Index ratings of
all countries in the world. A country is classified as a Least Developed Country if it meets three criteria based on:
- low-income (three-year average GNI per capita of less than US $750, which must exceed $900 to leave the list)
- human resource weakness (based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy) and
- economic vulnerability (based on instability of agricultural production, instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non-traditional activities, merchandise export concentration, and handicap of economic smallness, and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters)
Countries may "graduate" out of the LDC classification when indicators exceed these criteria. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States coordinates UN support and provides advocacy services for Least Developed Countries.
The classification currently (as of
April 16,
2008) applies to 49 countries.
In 2007, the United Nations graduated
Cape Verde from the category of Least Developed Countries. This is only the second time it has happened to a country. The first country to graduate from LDC status was
Botswana in 1994.
Samoa may become the third country to graduate in this manner, with a decision on this issue scheduled for
2008.
Usage and abbreviations
Least developed countries can be distinguished from
developing countries, "less developed countries", "lesser developed countries", or other terms for countries in the so-called "
Third World". Although many contemporary scholars argue that "Third World" is outdated, irrelevant or inaccurate, others may use the term "Fourth World" in reference to least developed countries (although
Fourth World is also used to refer to stateless ethnic groups). The term "less economically developed country" (LEDC) is also used today.
However, in order to avoid confusion between "least developed country" and "less developed country" (which may both be abbreviated as LDC), and to avoid confusion with
landlocked developing country (which can be abbreviated as LLDC), "developing country" is generally used in preference to "less developed country".
Least developed countries generally suffer conditions of
extreme poverty, ongoing and widespread conflict (including
civil war or
ethnic clashes), extensive
political corruption, and lack political and
social stability. The
form of government in such countries is often
authoritarian in nature, and may comprise a
dictatorship,
warlordism, or a
kleptocracy. AIDS is a major issue in a lot of these countries. The majority of LDCs are in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
Note, however, that the above characteristics generally don't apply to
LDCs located in Oceania.
Kiribati,
Samoa,
Tuvalu and
Vanuatu are politically stable democracies, and lack any form of civil or ethnic strife. Nor are they strongly affected by AIDS. Although they've small economies, often dependent on
monocultures, the population generally doesn't suffer from extreme poverty, thanks to an enduring
subsistence sector in the economy. The
Solomon Islands is the only
Oceanian LDC currently affected by political instability and ethnic tension. In 2006, the United Nations recommended that Samoa be upgraded from LDC status to that of
Developing Country. The Samoan government disagreed, and asked for a review of the recommendation. Samoa retains LDC status, pending a decision scheduled for 2008.
During the last United Nations review in 2003, the UN defined LDCs as countries meeting three criteria, one of which was a three-year average estimate of
gross national income (GNI) per capita of less than US $750. Countries with populations over 75 million are excluded.
Trade and LDCs
Issues surrounding global trade regulations and LDCs have gained a lot of media and policy attention thanks to the recently collapsed
Doha Round of
WTO negotiations being termed a development round. During the WTO's
Hong Kong Ministerial, it was agreed that LDCs could see 100 percent duty-free, quota-free access to U.S. markets if the round were completed. But analysis of the deal by NGOs found that the text of the proposed LDC deal had substantial loopholes that might make the offer less than the full 100 percent access, and could even erase some current duty-free access of LDCs to rich country markets. Dissatisfaction with these loopholes led some economists to call for a reworking of the
Hong Kong deal.
Current LDCs
Africa (33 countries)
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Niger
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Haiti
Asia (10 countries)
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
East Timor
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Maldives
Myanmar
Nepal
Yemen
Kiribati
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Graduated LDCs
Botswana (in 1994)
Cape Verde (in 2007)Further Information
Get more info on 'Least Developed Countries'.
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