Progressive social activist Carl Oglesby first used the phrase “Global South” in 1969 as a euphemism for “developing nations,” “least developed countries,” and other similar expressions.
The phrase “Global South” is sometimes used in conjunction with other terminology to characterize nations whose economies have not yet reached their full potential and confront difficulties such as low per capita income, high unemployment, and a scarcity of capital.
But few socioeconomic phrases are contested, potentially contentious, or generally misunderstood as much as “income inequality.”
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“Global South” definition is difficult.
“Global South” is often misinterpreted and misapplied. Many people incorrectly believe that “South” means “Southern.” Not at all.
Most nations in the Southern Hemisphere are considered part of the “Global South,” however, this is purely an economic phrase (hence, Australia is referred to as “down under” but is not considered a member of the South).
As a result, there are numerous theories about which countries are part of the Global South and which countries are part of the Global North, as there are no strict criteria for what constitutes the Global South (as opposed to the World Bank’s very specific guidelines for what is or is not a low-income economy).
As a final point, the name “South” might be taken as meaning that “South” is identical to “poor,” a relationship that many people consider both callous and untrue.
What do we mean when we talk about the global South?
There are several ways to describe the Global South. In the past, the term “Global South” was used to refer to less developed or economically disadvantaged countries.
These nations have fragile democracies, are amid industrialization, and have been often colonized by the Global North (especially by European countries).
According to the second concept, those in the Global South are those who capitalism’s expansion over the world has adversely impacted. According to any of these definitions, Global South is not the same as geographically Southern.
Many experts, however, prefer to use the phrases “developing nations” or “low-income economies” to avoid confusion, inaccuracy, and even insult.
Using the phrase “Global South” Has Many Advantages.
Many of the nations that make up the Global South now have a common identity due to the term’s widespread usage.
As a result of this unity, the United Nations’ South-South Cooperation, a coalition of nations from the Global South, has been formed to address poverty, population growth, and illness.
Self-sufficiency, technical advancement, and participation in the global economy are some of the benefits of participating in the SSC.
The SSC’s work in China is one of the greatest examples. While the United Nations hail China as an example of development success, it has risen to prominence much beyond most Western nations. It is now one of the world’s most important economic players.
Also See: Gini Coefficient by Country 2022
This is a list of countries in the South (United Nations)
An authoritative list of the world’s “Global South” nations is maintained by United Nations Finance Center for South-South Cooperation. As of early 2022, there are 78 nations on the list, known as the “Group of 77 and China,” including the United States.
Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola |
Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Bahamas |
Bahrain | Bangladesh | Barbados |
Belize | Benin | Bhutan |
Bolivia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana |
Brazil | Brunei Darussalam | Burkina Faso |
Burundi | Cabo Verde/Cape Verde | Cambodia |
Central African Republic | Chad | Chile |
China | Colombia | Comoros |
Congo (Dem. Rep.) | Congo (Republic of) | Costa Rica |
Côte d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast | Cuba | Djibouti |
Dominica | Dominican Republic | Ecuador |
Egypt | El Salvador | Equatorial Guinea |
Eritrea | Eswatini | Ethiopia |
Fiji | Gabon | Gambia |
Ghana | Grenada | Guatemala |
Guinea | Guinea-Bisseau | Guyana |
Haiti | Honduras | India |
Indonesia | Iran | Iraq |
Jamaica | Jordan | Kenya |
Kiribati | Kuwait | Laos |
Lebanon | Lesotho | Liberia |
Libya | Madagascar | Malawi |
Malaysia | Maldives | Mali |
Marshall Islands | Mauritania | Mauritius |
Micronesia | Mongolia | Morocco |
Mozambique | Myanmar | Namibia |
Nauru | Nepal | Nicaragua |
Niger | Nigeria | North Korea |
Oman | Pakistan | Palestine (limited recognition) |
Panama | Papua New Guinea | Paraguay |
Peru | Philippines | Qatar |
Rwanda | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Samoa | São Tomé and PrÃncipe |
Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Seychelles |
Sierra Leone | Singapore | Solomon Islands |
Somalia | South Africa | South Sudan |
Sri Lanka | Sudan | Suriname |
Syria | Tajikstan | Tanzania |
Thailand | Timor-Leste | Togo |
Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia |
Turkmenistan | Uganda | United Arab Emirates |
Uruguay | Vanuatu | Venezuela |
Vietnam | Yemen | Zambia |
Zimbabwe |
Country | Global South Nation? (United Nations FCFSSC) |
---|---|
Nauru | true |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | true |
Marshall Islands | true |
Dominica | true |
Seychelles | true |
Antigua and Barbuda | true |
Tonga | true |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | true |
Grenada | true |
Micronesia | true |
Kiribati | true |
Saint Lucia | true |
Samoa | true |
Sao Tome and Principe | true |
Barbados | true |
Vanuatu | true |
Bahamas | true |
Belize | true |
Brunei | true |
Maldives | true |
Cape Verde | true |
Suriname | true |
Solomon Islands | true |
Bhutan | true |
Guyana | true |
Comoros | true |
Fiji | true |
Djibouti | true |
Eswatini | true |
Mauritius | true |
Timor-Leste | true |
Trinidad and Tobago | true |
Equatorial Guinea | true |
Bahrain | true |
Guinea-Bissau | true |
Lesotho | true |
Gabon | true |
Botswana | true |
Gambia | true |
Namibia | true |
Qatar | true |
Jamaica | true |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | true |
Mongolia | true |
Uruguay | true |
Eritrea | true |
Kuwait | true |
Panama | true |
Mauritania | true |
Central African Republic | true |
Costa Rica | true |
Liberia | true |
Oman | true |
Palestine | true |
Republic of the Congo | true |
Singapore | true |
Turkmenistan | true |
El Salvador | true |
Lebanon | true |
Nicaragua | true |
Libya | true |
Paraguay | true |
Laos | true |
Sierra Leone | true |
Togo | true |
Papua New Guinea | true |
Tajikistan | true |
United Arab Emirates | true |
Honduras | true |
Jordan | true |
Dominican Republic | true |
Cuba | true |
South Sudan | true |
Haiti | true |
Bolivia | true |
Tunisia | true |
Burundi | true |
Benin | true |
Rwanda | true |
Guinea | true |
Zimbabwe | true |
Somalia | true |
Cambodia | true |
Chad | true |
Senegal | true |
Ecuador | true |
Guatemala | true |
Chile | true |
Syria | true |
Zambia | true |
Malawi | true |
Mali | true |
Sri Lanka | true |
Burkina Faso | true |
North Korea | true |
Niger | true |
Ivory Coast | true |
Cameroon | true |
Madagascar | true |
Venezuela | true |
Nepal | true |
Yemen | true |
Ghana | true |
Mozambique | true |
Malaysia | true |
Peru | true |
Angola | true |
Saudi Arabia | true |
Morocco | true |
Afghanistan | true |
Iraq | true |
Algeria | true |
Sudan | true |
Argentina | true |
Uganda | true |
Colombia | true |
Myanmar | true |
Kenya | true |
South Africa | true |
Tanzania | true |
Thailand | true |
Iran | true |
DR Congo | true |
Vietnam | true |
Egypt | true |
Philippines | true |
Ethiopia | true |
Bangladesh | true |
Brazil | true |
Nigeria | true |
Pakistan | true |
Indonesia | true |
India | true |
China | true |
Vatican City | false |
Tuvalu | false |
Palau | false |
San Marino | false |
Liechtenstein | false |
Monaco | false |
Andorra | false |
Iceland | false |
Malta | false |
Montenegro | false |
Luxembourg | false |
Cyprus | false |
Estonia | false |
Latvia | false |
Slovenia | false |
North Macedonia | false |
Lithuania | false |
Albania | false |
Armenia | false |
Georgia | false |
Moldova | false |
Croatia | false |
New Zealand | false |
Ireland | false |
Slovakia | false |
Norway | false |
Finland | false |
Denmark | false |
Kyrgyzstan | false |
Bulgaria | false |
Serbia | false |
Switzerland | false |
Israel | false |
Austria | false |
Belarus | false |
Hungary | false |
Portugal | false |
Sweden | false |
Azerbaijan | false |
Greece | false |
Czech Republic | false |
Belgium | false |
Netherlands | false |
Romania | false |
Kazakhstan | false |
Australia | false |
Uzbekistan | false |
Poland | false |
Canada | false |
Ukraine | false |
Spain | false |
South Korea | false |
Italy | false |
France | false |
United Kingdom | false |
Germany | false |
Turkey | false |
Japan | false |
Mexico | false |
Russia | false |
United States | false |