We explain what developed and underdeveloped countries are, the differences between them and various examples.
What are developed and underdeveloped countries?
When talking about developed countries and underdeveloped countries (the latter also referred to as “less developed”, “backward” and sometimes also “developing”), reference is made to their respective degrees of economic power and what this entails, that is, to level of economic strength that they have been able to achieve and the standard of living associated with it which its citizens enjoy.
It is a traditional terminology, very common in economic geography and in journalistic discourse, but it is not exempt from criticism and controversy, since it assumes that some countries are at the forefront of civilization and that the others, on the other hand, are behind. behind in the historical career, without taking into consideration the particularities of each case, and reducing the idea of success to economics in the first place.
Furthermore, the term underdeveloped countries tends to encompass a very disparate set of nations that have different degrees of industrialization and radically different models of life.
As defined by the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan (1938-2018), developed countries are “those that provide their inhabitants with a free and healthy life in a safe environment.”
This explanation may be subjective or unclear, and that is why we tend to think of these terms from an economic and industrial point of view: A developed nation is one that has a strong, highly industrialized economy, whose benefits are transformed into high standards of living for the majority of its population.
Instead, Underdeveloped countries are those that fail to sustain a stable economy or guarantee their citizens a desirable way of life. In general, they are countries with poorly industrialized agricultural economies, subject to the vagaries of the market in a catastrophic manner. For the most part, its population suffers from poverty (or in some cases misery and hunger), low rates of human development, insecurity, violence, etc.
Differences between developed and underdeveloped countries
If we look for more objective criteria to distinguish between developed and underdeveloped countries, we have to:
| Developed countries | underdeveloped countries |
|---|---|
| Low inflation, poverty and unemployment rates. | Big problems of inflation, poverty and unemployment. |
| Very broad and diverse industrial sector. | Little industrial sector, economy based on agriculture. |
| High life expectancy and low mortality rate, especially infant mortality. | Low or average life expectancies and high infant mortality rates. |
| Economic and political stability. | Economic and political instability. |
| High levels of human development: education, culture, art, etc. | Low levels of human development: illiteracy, poor professional development, low cultural consumption, etc. |
| High per capita income and great consumption capacity of its citizens. | Low per capita income and low consumption capacity of citizens. |
| Favorable trade balance (greater exports than imports). | Unfavorable trade balance (greater imports than exports). |
Examples of developed and underdeveloped countries
Below are some examples of countries that are considered developed and underdeveloped:
- Developed countries: England, Germany, Australia, United States, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Holland, Belgium, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong, Turkey.
- underdeveloped countries: Haiti, Somalia, Senegal, Tanzania, Laos, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Malawi, Yemen, Nepal, Venezuela, Cambodia, Togo, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Vanuatu, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone.
Continue with: Development
References
- “Developed country” in Wikipedia.
- “Less developed countries” on Wikipedia.
- “Developed and underdeveloped countries. Causes of underdevelopment” in Gestiopolis.
- “Developed and underdeveloped countries of the world” in ETIAS Visa for Europe.
