Least developed country
A least developed country (LDC) is a country that the United Nations considers to be the least developed out of all the countries in the world. They normally have the lowest ratings on the Human Development Index. The idea to name LDCs started in the late 1960s. The first group of LDCs was listed by the UN in November 1971.[1]
Classification process
Indicators are used to determine whether a country is a least devleoped country.
- The gross domestic product, per person, is low. Currently, the average over three years is considered.
- An index measuring social factors, such as health, education and literacy among adults. Currently, the Human Assets Index is used for this purpose.
- A third index looks at how vulnerable the economy is as a whole. Currently, the Economic Vulnerability Index is used.
To be considered a least developed country, a country must have high levels of poverty and infant mortality, low human resources and a vulnerable economy.[2] The UN looks at indicators, such as gross national income, nutrition, health, education and literacy. Economic vulnerability is recorded on the Economic Vulnerability Index.
LDC criteria are reviewed every three years. Countries may stop being considered an LDC when indicators show that they have become developed enough. Since the LDC category was created, four countries have graduated to developing country status.[3][4] The first country to do this was Botswana in 1994. The second was Cape Verde, in 2007.[5] Then Maldives in 2011, and Samoa in 2014.[6][7] It is expected that Equatorial Guinea and Vanuatu will be the next countries to be promoted from LDC status.[8]
As of 2014[update], there are 48 least developed countries.[9] There are also three countries which meet the criteria for LDC status, but have asked to not be included in the index: Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe.[10]
Current list
The "least developed countries" according to the United Nations:
- Africa (32 countries)
- 22x20px Algeria
- 22x20px Angola
Benin- File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso[11]
- 22x20px Burundi[11]
- 22x20px Cameroon
- 22x20px Central African Republic[11]
Chad[11]- 22x20px Comoros[12]
- 22x20px Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 22x20px Djibouti
- File:Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea
- 22x20px Eswatini
- 22x20px Ethiopia[11]
- 22x20px Gambia
- File:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea
- 22x20px Guinea-Bissau[12]
- 22x20px Kenya
- 22x20px Lesotho[11]
- 22x20px Liberia
- 22x20px Madagascar
- 22x20px Malawi[11]
- 22x20px Mali[11]
- 22x20px Mauritania
- 22x20px Mozambique
- 22x20px Niger[11]
- 22x20px Nigeria
- 22x20px Rwanda[11]
- 22x20px Sao Tome and Principe
- 22x20px Senegal
- 22x20px Sierra Leone
- 22x20px Somalia
- File:Flag of South Sudan.svg South Sudan
- 22x20px Sudan
- 22x20px Tanzania
- 22x20px Togo
- 22x20px Uganda[11]
- 22x20px Zambia[11]
- 22x20px Zimbabwe
- Asia (18 countries)
- 22x20px Afghanistan[11]
- 22x20px Bangladesh[13]
- File:Flag of Cambodia.svg Cambodia
- 22x20px East Timor[12]
- 22x20px India
- 22x20px Iran
- 22x20px Kyrgyzstan
- 22x20px Laos
- 22x20px Lebanon
- 22x20px Myanmar
- File:Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal[11]
- 22x20px North Korea
- 22x20px Pakistan
- 22x20px Palestine
- 22x20px Syria
- 22x20px Tajikistan
Turkmenistan- 22x20px Uzbekistan
- 22x20px Yemen
- Oceania (3 countries)
- Americas (6 country)
Least Developed Country Media
Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day
G33 countries: a coalition of developing countries in regards to agriculture.
- Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis at the 4th UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (5709246557).jpg
Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece Spyros Kouvelis at the 4th UN Conference on Least Developed Countries
Related pages
References
- ↑ General Assembly resolution 2768 (XXVI) Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- ↑ UN-OHRLLS Criteria for Identification and Graduation of LDCs Archived 2019-07-25 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Delegates in Preparatory Meeting Express Concern about Shortage of Countries 'Graduating' from Least-Developed Status over Last Decade". Mmdnewswire.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- ↑ "Istanbul forum offers chance to recommit to helping world's poorest nations". Un.org. 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- ↑ "UN advocate salutes Cape Verde’s graduation from category of poorest States", UN News Centre, 14 June 2007.
- ↑ "Maldives identifies challenges in graduating to a developing country" Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine, UN-OHRLLS, 23 December 2010
- ↑ "Samoa To Gain Developing Country Economic Status In January 2014". UN-OHRLLS. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2015-08-09 – via Radio Australia.
- ↑ "List of least developed countries" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
- ↑ "About LDCs". Least Developed Countries. UN-OHRLLS. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "UN Handbook on the LDC Category" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-07-28.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 Also a landlocked developing country
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Also a Small Island Developing State
- ↑ UN-OHRLLS About LDCs Archived 2014-10-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
More reading
- United Nations, "LDCs: Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States"
- World Trade Organisation, ""WTO Launches Trade Initiative for Least Developed Countries", FOCUS newsletter, WTO, Geneva, Switzerland, November 1997 issue 24.