What makes a nation in the Third World? Depending on when you pose the question, the answer may vary. A lot has changed since third world was first coined more than 50 years ago.
As part of the three worlds label system, Third World was created by French historian Alfred Sauvy in 1952 and was used to define the political alignment of a certain nation.
Nations such as Japan and most of Western Europe that were mainly democratic NATO members were considered First World countries. Second World nations included the Soviet Union, China, and their allies in the Communist Bloc.
In the end, nations in what was referred to as the Third World were those that stayed neutral and had no allies.
As a result of the Soviet Union’s demise in the early 1990s (along with the end of the Cold War), the meaning of this phrase has changed.
As a result, the term Third World became synonymous with impoverished and non-industrialized nations as well as newly industrialized ones.
These nations are considered Third World under this revised definition if they are plagued by high poverty rates, economic instability, and a dearth of vital human resources.

In light of this evolving classification, there is a lot of uncertainty as to which nations are considered Third World countries today.
Many countries in Europe and the Third World were not part of NATO or the Soviet Union, for example, according to the historical meaning of the term However, none of these countries fit the contemporary definition of a Third World country—they’re all too wealthy.
According to present use, the phrase third world criticizes nations that are in the process of development and/or poverty.
The phrase Third World has been mostly obliterated due to the confluence of misunderstanding and probable offense.
Also See: Theocracy Countries 2022
As opposed to developing nations or least developed countries (as determined by the United Nations), the majority of current speakers and authors use phrases like low-income countries or low-income countries (based on World Bank data).
As a result, instead of providing a list of nations in the contemporary Third World, we welcome you to browse our list of the world’s least developed countries.
North Korea, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, Somalia, and Tuvalu were not included in the current Human Development Index report.
The following is a list of the 10 countries with the worst levels of human development:
- Tuvalu (0)
- Somalia (0)
- Niger (0.354)
- Central African Republic (0.367)
- South Sudan (0.388)
- Chad (0.404)
- Burundi (0.417)
- Sierra Leone (0.419)
- Burkina Faso (0.423)
- Mali (0.427)
Country | Human Development Index | 2022 Population |
---|---|---|
Tuvalu | 0 | 11.3120 |
Somalia | 0 | 17597.5110 |
Niger | 0.3540 | 26207.9770 |
Central African Republic | 0.3670 | 5579.1440 |
South Sudan | 0.3880 | 10913.1640 |
Chad | 0.4040 | 17723.3150 |
Burundi | 0.4170 | 12889.5760 |
Sierra Leone | 0.4190 | 8605.7180 |
Burkina Faso | 0.4230 | 22673.7620 |
Mali | 0.4270 | 22593.5900 |
Liberia | 0.4350 | 5302.6810 |
Mozambique | 0.4370 | 32969.5180 |
Eritrea | 0.4400 | 3684.0320 |
Yemen | 0.4520 | 33696.6140 |
Guinea-Bissau | 0.4550 | 2105.5660 |
DR Congo | 0.4570 | 99010.2120 |
Guinea | 0.4590 | 13859.3410 |
Gambia | 0.4600 | 2705.9920 |
Ethiopia | 0.4630 | 123379.9240 |
Djibouti | 0.4760 | 1120.8490 |
Malawi | 0.4770 | 20405.3170 |
Ivory Coast | 0.4920 | 28160.5420 |
Haiti | 0.4980 | 11584.9960 |
Afghanistan | 0.4980 | 41128.7710 |
Sudan | 0.5020 | 46874.2040 |
Comoros | 0.5030 | 836.7740 |
Togo | 0.5030 | 8848.6990 |
Senegal | 0.5050 | 17316.4490 |
Benin | 0.5150 | 13352.8640 |
Uganda | 0.5160 | 47249.5850 |
Madagascar | 0.5190 | 29611.7140 |
Lesotho | 0.5200 | 2305.8250 |
Mauritania | 0.5200 | 4736.1390 |
Rwanda | 0.5240 | 13776.6980 |
Nigeria | 0.5320 | 218541.2120 |
Zimbabwe | 0.5350 | 16320.5370 |
Syria | 0.5360 | 22125.2490 |
Tanzania | 0.5380 | 65497.7480 |
Papua New Guinea | 0.5440 | 10142.6190 |
Solomon Islands | 0.5460 | 724.2730 |
Cameroon | 0.5560 | 27914.5360 |
Pakistan | 0.5620 | 235824.8620 |
Nepal | 0.5740 | 30547.5800 |
Myanmar | 0.5780 | 54179.3060 |
Angola | 0.5810 | 35588.9870 |
Cambodia | 0.5820 | 16767.8420 |
Eswatini | 0.5880 | 1201.6700 |
Zambia | 0.5880 | 20017.6750 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 0.5890 | 227.3800 |
Kenya | 0.5900 | 54027.4870 |
Equatorial Guinea | 0.5910 | 1674.9080 |
Ghana | 0.5920 | 33475.8700 |
Laos | 0.6010 | 7529.4750 |
Vanuatu | 0.6030 | 326.7400 |
Republic of the Congo | 0.6060 | 5970.4240 |
Bangladesh | 0.6080 | 171186.3720 |
Kiribati | 0.6120 | 131.2320 |
Bhutan | 0.6120 | 782.4550 |
Honduras | 0.6170 | 10432.8600 |
Timor-Leste | 0.6250 | 1341.2960 |
Micronesia | 0.6270 | 114.1640 |
India | 0.6400 | 1417173.1730 |
Namibia | 0.6470 | 2567.0120 |
Tajikistan | 0.6500 | 9952.7870 |
Guatemala | 0.6500 | 17843.9080 |
Cape Verde | 0.6540 | 593.1490 |
Guyana | 0.6540 | 808.7260 |
Nicaragua | 0.6580 | 6948.3920 |
Morocco | 0.6670 | 37457.9710 |
Kyrgyzstan | 0.6720 | 6630.6230 |
El Salvador | 0.6740 | 6336.3920 |
Iraq | 0.6850 | 44496.1220 |
Palestine | 0.6860 | 5250.0720 |
Bolivia | 0.6930 | 12224.1100 |
Vietnam | 0.6940 | 98186.8560 |
Indonesia | 0.6940 | 275501.3390 |
Egypt | 0.6960 | 110990.1030 |
South Africa | 0.6990 | 59893.8850 |
Philippines | 0.6990 | 115559.0090 |
Moldova | 0.7000 | 3272.9960 |
Gabon | 0.7020 | 2388.9920 |
Paraguay | 0.7020 | 6780.7440 |
Turkmenistan | 0.7060 | 6430.7700 |
Libya | 0.7060 | 6812.3410 |
Marshall Islands | 0.7080 | 41.5690 |
Belize | 0.7080 | 405.2720 |
Uzbekistan | 0.7100 | 34627.6520 |
Samoa | 0.7130 | 222.3820 |
Dominica | 0.7150 | 72.7370 |
Maldives | 0.7170 | 523.7870 |
Botswana | 0.7170 | 2630.2960 |
Suriname | 0.7200 | 618.0400 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.7230 | 103.9480 |
Tonga | 0.7260 | 106.8580 |
Jamaica | 0.7320 | 2827.3770 |
Jordan | 0.7350 | 11285.8690 |
Tunisia | 0.7350 | 12356.1170 |
Dominican Republic | 0.7360 | 11228.8210 |
Fiji | 0.7410 | 929.7660 |
Mongolia | 0.7410 | 3398.3660 |
Saint Lucia | 0.7470 | 179.8570 |
Colombia | 0.7470 | 51874.0240 |
Peru | 0.7500 | 34049.5880 |
Ukraine | 0.7510 | 39701.7390 |
Ecuador | 0.7520 | 18001 |
China | 0.7520 | 1425887.3370 |
Algeria | 0.7540 | 44903.2250 |
Armenia | 0.7550 | 2780.4690 |
Thailand | 0.7550 | 71697.0300 |
Lebanon | 0.7570 | 5489.7390 |
Azerbaijan | 0.7570 | 10358.0740 |
Brazil | 0.7590 | 215313.4980 |
Venezuela | 0.7610 | 28301.6960 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.7680 | 3233.5260 |
Sri Lanka | 0.7700 | 21832.1430 |
Grenada | 0.7720 | 125.4380 |
Mexico | 0.7740 | 127504.1250 |
Cuba | 0.7770 | 11212.1910 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.7780 | 47.6570 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 0.7800 | 93.7630 |
Georgia | 0.7800 | 3744.3850 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 0.7840 | 1531.0440 |
Albania | 0.7850 | 2842.3210 |
Serbia | 0.7870 | 7221.3650 |
Panama | 0.7890 | 4408.5810 |
Mauritius | 0.7900 | 1299.4690 |
Turkey | 0.7910 | 85341.2410 |
Costa Rica | 0.7940 | 5180.8290 |
Seychelles | 0.7970 | 107.1180 |
Palau | 0.7980 | 18.0550 |
Iran | 0.7980 | 88550.5700 |
Barbados | 0.8000 | 281.6350 |
Kazakhstan | 0.8000 | 19397.9980 |
Malaysia | 0.8020 | 33938.2210 |
Kuwait | 0.8030 | 4268.8730 |
Uruguay | 0.8040 | 3422.7940 |
Bahamas | 0.8070 | 409.9840 |
Belarus | 0.8080 | 9534.9540 |
Romania | 0.8110 | 19659.2670 |
Bulgaria | 0.8130 | 6781.9530 |
Montenegro | 0.8140 | 627.0820 |
Russia | 0.8160 | 144713.3140 |
Oman | 0.8210 | 4576.2980 |
Argentina | 0.8250 | 45510.3180 |
Croatia | 0.8310 | 4030.3580 |
Hungary | 0.8380 | 9967.3080 |
Chile | 0.8430 | 19603.7330 |
Bahrain | 0.8460 | 1472.2330 |
Latvia | 0.8470 | 1850.6510 |
Portugal | 0.8470 | 10270.8650 |
Brunei | 0.8530 | 449.0020 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.8530 | 36408.8200 |
Slovakia | 0.8550 | 5643.4530 |
Qatar | 0.8560 | 2695.1220 |
Andorra | 0.8580 | 79.8240 |
Lithuania | 0.8580 | 2750.0550 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.8630 | 9441.1290 |
Poland | 0.8650 | 39857.1450 |
Cyprus | 0.8690 | 1251.4880 |
Greece | 0.8700 | 10384.9710 |
Estonia | 0.8710 | 1326.0620 |
Malta | 0.8780 | 533.2860 |
Italy | 0.8800 | 59037.4740 |
Czech Republic | 0.8880 | 10493.9860 |
Spain | 0.8910 | 47558.6300 |
Slovenia | 0.8960 | 2119.8440 |
France | 0.9010 | 64626.6280 |
Israel | 0.9030 | 9038.3090 |
South Korea | 0.9030 | 51815.8100 |
Luxembourg | 0.9040 | 647.5990 |
Austria | 0.9080 | 8939.6170 |
Japan | 0.9090 | 123951.6920 |
Liechtenstein | 0.9160 | 39.3270 |
Belgium | 0.9160 | 11655.9300 |
New Zealand | 0.9170 | 5185.2880 |
Finland | 0.9200 | 5540.7450 |
United Kingdom | 0.9220 | 67508.9360 |
United States | 0.9240 | 338289.8570 |
Canada | 0.9260 | 38454.3270 |
Denmark | 0.9290 | 5882.2610 |
Netherlands | 0.9310 | 17564.0140 |
Singapore | 0.9320 | 5975.6890 |
Hong Kong | 0.9330 | 7488.8650 |
Sweden | 0.9330 | 10549.3470 |
Iceland | 0.9350 | 372.8990 |
Germany | 0.9360 | 83369.8430 |
Ireland | 0.9380 | 5023.1090 |
Australia | 0.9390 | 26177.4130 |
Switzerland | 0.9440 | 8740.4720 |
Norway | 0.9530 | 5434.3190 |