Traditionally, the world has been divided into groups of countries for quite some time now. There are countries of the first world - or the "golden billion", countries of the second world - many of them used to be socialist, and countries of the third world - or developing ones. IN last years in scientific circles they also began to single out the countries of the fourth world - these are the poorest states that cannot be called developing, because they are not developing anywhere at all, but are slowly rotting.
In addition to dividing countries into groups according to economic basis, it would be more correct to divide countries into 4 groups based on civilization. The most intelligent, civilized, cultural countries, in which in all populated areas everything is organized, written and tested, technologies are debugged to the point of automation - this is the first world.
The second world is where cities have a centralized layout, but there is often no novelty and luxury, the population is not always well educated, but nevertheless quite smart and savvy, access to the basic benefits of civilization such as water, light, communications is present.
The third world is huge number countries, in principle, very different. They are united by the primitiveness and downtroddenness of the local population ( hallmark in many of these countries - to shout “Uh-uh” or “Hello” at the sight of a foreigner and point fingers at him, which is not customary in the first and second worlds), people are native, wild and often primitive, villages are often characterized by medieval poverty and primitivism, and the cities are chaotic and absurd - with sidewalks clogged with vendors, dirty courtyards, streets crowded with cars. There are often problems with education and money in such countries.
Fourth world countries - where there are no basic things like light, water, telephone, food and shops, people often do not have clothes.
Now, after classification, I will try to sort many countries into these groups. What is the first world, and where is the third?
So, let's start with Europe.
1. First world. France is classic first world. Belgium, Holland, and Germany can easily be included in this category. Also First World are Eastern European Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as Hungary. World 1 includes Scandinavia and other Western countries. Europe. Of course, only Southern Italy is in question...
2. Second world. The classic second world is Russia, Ukraine. From Europe, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Montenegro, Serbia, Lithuania, Belarus, Estonia fall into this group (the last four countries are slightly similar in some elements to the first world, but they still have a very long way to go). Despite low salaries and a weak economy, Moldova can rightfully be considered the second world. Recently, China has also been climbing from the third to the second world, but this process is lengthy.
2+. Slovakia stands apart here, which is in a transitional stage between the second and first worlds - it is stuck somewhere in the middle between them.
3. Third world. The classic third world is Egypt, India, Pakistan, Mongolia and most countries to the south of them. Many Arab countries, such as Syria, can also be included in this group. Interesting countries Central Asia, such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Being essentially the third world, they retained in their appearance some features of the second world (in which, at least in large localities, they were located under the USSR). Nevertheless, these remnants of the second world in them are diminishing, and the third is becoming more and more obvious. The only country in the region in which elements of the second world remain in quantity and will remain in the future, although the country itself is rather in the third, is Kazakhstan.
3+. Some countries are on the path between the third world and the second and are completely stuck on this road with no chance of moving forward - typical countries for such a “Twine” are Turkey and Kosovo. On the same road, but somewhat closer to the third world, are Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
It is also interesting that on the European continent there is one country from the third world - Albania. Iran is also curious - being for now an almost perfect third world, it has a chance in a few decades to become halfway between the third and second world - that is, to get closer to Turkey, there is some tendency towards this.
I can only talk theoretically about the fourth world; I have not been to these countries yet, but it traditionally includes Zimbabwe, the Democratic Party. rep. Congo, Chad, Afghanistan. This is what they call - it can’t get any worse.
This is the division, this is the classification. Every time you visit a new country, it is very interesting in the first couple of days to classify it and place it on one of these four shelves. Or even, in difficult situation, hang between two shelves. :)
Term "third World" arose during a period of active confrontation between two systems, capitalist and socialist. Since many states remained aloof from direct participation in this struggle (but were indirectly involved in it to one degree or another), they began to be conventionally called the “Third World”. There was another term - “developing countries”. The states of the “third world” usually include former colonial and dependent countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, including those that (such as Latin American states), having won formal independence quite a long time ago, were unable to achieve financial and economic independence.
Thus, the existence of the “Third World” is closely connected with what unfolded in the 20th century. collapse of the colonial system. Already in its first decades, a wave of national liberation movements and revolutions swept through a number of Eastern countries. True, after complete collapse at the end of the First World War Ottoman Empire its national “outskirts” (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc.) did not gain independence and actually became colonies of France and England under the guise of the so-called mandate territories. But there, too, the struggle for complete liberation soon began. And in Turkey, the center of the former empire, as a result of the revolution of 1918-1923. active modernization took place in all spheres of life.
It should be noted that at that stage, Soviet Russia (USSR) provided not only moral, but also diplomatic and financial support Turkey, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, China and other countries of the East, who fought to strengthen their independence. Of course, the leadership of the USSR pursued its own goals, but for many residents of Eastern countries, the socialist construction that unfolded in the USSR was a powerful incentive for democratic transformations in their states.
A very peculiar form of “nonviolent resistance” took national movement in colonial India. It was headed by an outstanding political figure Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, guided by the spirit of Buddhism and partly by the ideas of L.N. Tolstoy about non-resistance to evil through violence. Gandhi and his closest associates periodically organized all-India protests civil disobedience: refusal to cooperate with the British colonial authorities, various mass boycotts, etc.
Nevertheless, almost until the middle of the 20th century. the colonial system as a whole remained unshakable. But after the Second World War, a new rise of national liberation movements began, which became irreversible. Weakened by the exhausting war, the Western powers had difficulty resisting this onslaught. In addition, in a number of countries (Indochina, the Philippines, Malaya, Burma, Indonesia) occupied by militaristic Japan during the war, a powerful anti-Japanese struggle unfolded, which later took on an anti-colonial character in general and led to the achievement of independence.
But it was not only the weakening of the colonial powers as a result of the war. The authorities of the former metropolises sometimes preferred to voluntarily “grant” independence to their possessions, not without reason expecting to extract the same (or even greater) profits from them in the future through financial and economic influence. Thus, England, having granted independence to India (1947), achieved the division of the country along religious lines. As a result, Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan arose, between which conflicts and even wars broke out more than once, leading to their mutual weakening. This, naturally, had a detrimental effect on the development of both countries and for a long time allowed England and other capitalist powers to maintain their economic positions in the region.
Attempts by other colonial powers to save their empires from collapse by force (military) did not lead to anything. After several years of bloody war, Holland was forced to grant independence to Indonesia (1949). France also collapsed in two difficult wars in Indochina (1946-1954) and Algeria (1954-1962). And by the mid-70s. the oldest one also collapsed colonial empire, Portuguese, although before this the metropolis tried with all its might to maintain its possessions in Africa (Angola and Mozambique). With the independence of Namibia (1990), the history of colonialism ended.
As a result of decolonization, which took on the most rapid pace in the 60s, several dozen new “third world” states emerged on the planet, largely different in their civilizational characteristics and level of development. But the problems they faced had much in common. Long years colonial (or other) dependence undermined or even undermined the traditional structures of these countries. Their isolated from outside world existence became almost impossible. And consequently, the involvement of “third world” countries in modern integration processes has become, in a certain sense, inevitable.
The interaction of former colonial and dependent countries with highly industrialized powers is, in fact, their collision with the “challenge” of industrial civilization (and at the stage of its transition to a new, post-industrial phase). It is, of course, not easy for developing countries to give a worthy “answer” to such a “challenge”: they have to create a new economic structure, look for optimal forms statehood, get involved in very difficult international political (and other) relations, learn to interact with “strangers” cultural traditions without losing its national identity.
The countries of the “third world” can, with a certain degree of convention, be divided into several groups (blocks), based on their civilizational specifics. What kind of groups are these?
Tropical Africa
More than 40 states arose on this fairly compact territory of Africa, the borders of which largely coincide with the borders of the former colonies. In the not so distant past, this part of the continent was inhabited by many primitive and semi-primitive tribes, among which here and there there were pockets of early, immature statehood. In Africa today there are up to 500 different ethnic groups (from multi-millions to very small ones), with their own language and self-identification, that is, with a kind of division of the world into “us” and “strangers”.
In this diversity lies the source of almost continuous internal conflicts, which are shaking young African states, where ethnically unrelated tribes coexist side by side and are at war with each other. The authorities of these countries are in extreme difficult situation: after all, they are forced to constantly maintain a fragile balance of power. The most common type of government system has become a parliamentary republic headed by a president, with mandatory representation in parliament everyone ethnic groups. Without this, political stability is impossible, the mechanisms for maintaining it, however, have not yet been worked out. Therefore, military coups and civil wars still remain commonplace in this region, and apparently democratic forms of government are not always filled with real content and are capable of saving from military dictatorship.
Even greater difficulties are associated with economic development, which so far directly depends on natural resources, distributed in different countries continent is very different. Thus, in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), the most developed African power (it would be more correct to classify it not as a “third world”, but as a developed capitalist country), quite high level life not only white, but also African population(compared to other countries in the region). Large oil deposits open up good development prospects for Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, and a number of other countries also have good natural resources. The export of products such as coffee, tea, cocoa beans, rubber, etc. also plays an important role. Rates of economic growth of countries Tropical Africa, back in the 80s. which remained at an average level of 3-4% per year, tend to grow.
But in this region there are also countries deprived of natural resources, which, along with other reasons, negatively affects their development. A number of such countries at one time (not without the influence of the USSR) paid tribute to the so-called socialist orientation. However, complete nationalization of the economy, forced cooperation of the peasantry, and artificial attempts to create a “proletariat” without a proper economic base, as a rule, did not bring positive results. Sometimes, however, it was possible to create “mixed” models, where elements of socialism were interspersed into an essentially capitalist economy. But in general, the overwhelming majority of countries in the region today give preference to the market model, and this is already beginning to bear the first fruits.
Nevertheless, the general underdevelopment of the economies of the countries of Tropical Africa, low labor productivity and culture (in general) are of concern to the world community. After all, Africa is experiencing huge population growth, and by 2010 the number of Africans could increase to 1 billion. But so far, only a few countries on the continent are able to feed themselves. This, in turn, increases Africans' indebtedness to (and therefore dependence on) the West, but ultimately Africa will have to solve its development problems primarily by mobilizing its own internal forces.
Arab countries
Multimillion-dollar and motley Arab world includes a number of countries in Africa (Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania) and Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and etc.). All of them are largely united on the basis of ethnic community and powerful civilizational traditions, in which the leading role is played by Islam. However, the level of socio-economic development Arab countries can hardly be called homogeneous.
Countries with huge oil reserves (especially small Arabian states) are in an advantageous position. The standard of living there is quite high and stable, and the once poor and backward Arabian monarchies, thanks to the flow of petrodollars, have become prosperous countries with the highest level of per capita income. And if at first they only exploited the generous gifts of nature, then today the psychology of the “rentier” is giving way to a sound and rational strategy. A striking example of this is Kuwait, where billions of petrodollars are invested in programs of socio-economic transformations, in the purchase of the latest technology, etc. Saudi Arabia and some other countries have taken the same path.
At the opposite pole are, for example, Sudan and Mauritania, whose level of development is practically no higher than poor African countries. These contrasts are somewhat mitigated by the system of mutual assistance: a fair amount of petrodollars from Arabian states is pumped into the poorest Arab countries to support them.
Of course, the success of Arab countries depends not only on the availability of natural oil reserves, but also on the development model they choose. The Arabs, like some African states, have already passed the stage of “socialist orientation”, and today we are no longer talking about the choice between socialism and capitalism. The question of preserving the traditions of Islam and combining this with the attitude towards Western values and the influence of Western culture is now much more relevant and acutely perceived in the Arab world.
Islamic fundamentalism(i.e., an extremely conservative movement in a particular religion), noticeably revived in last quarter XX century and which, along with other regions, covers almost the entire Arab world, calls for a return to the purity of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, to restore the lost standards of life that are prescribed by the Koran. There is something more behind this: on the one hand, the desire to strengthen one’s civilizational identity, and on the other, to oppose the inviolability of tradition to the onslaught modern world, changing before our eyes. In some countries (for example, Egypt), despite the increased frequency in the 90s. surges of fundamentalism, the Eurocapitalist path has been chosen, which leads to an inevitable change in traditional foundations. In other states (in particular, in the Arabian monarchies), a deep commitment to Islam is combined with the adoption of only external standards Western life, and not by the entire population. Finally, there is a third option: complete rejection of everything that brings with it the influence of the West. This is the case, for example, in Iraq. There is militant fundamentalism combined with aggressive foreign policy(which, by the way, caused resistance even from a number of Arab countries) inflicted in the 80-90s. a heavy blow to the state's economy and seriously slowed down its development.
A somewhat similar situation arises in countries associated with a single Arab religion - Islam (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan). The differences between them are also largely determined by their relationship to the Western model. If Turkey consistently continues to follow the Euro-capitalist path, then in Iran the course towards modernization and Europeanization, launched by Shah Reza Pahlavi back in the mid-20s, led to mass discontent half a century later. As a result, Iran was proclaimed an Islamic republic (1979) and became one of the main strongholds of fundamentalism. The coming century will show what kind of future awaits Islamic fundamentalism and whether its adherents will be able to find special way development without exposing their countries to economic and political disasters.
Agita Misane ( Agita Misāne), consultant to the "Shelter" society Safe home» »
Rarely is a term as confusing as these two. Therefore, it is clear that from clients - citizens of third countries - we often hear: “What kind of “third country citizen” am I, I’m not from an economically underdeveloped state!” It is a pity if such misunderstanding becomes the reason for non-use free services accessible to this particular target group. Let's try to correct the situation by explaining the meaning of these terms.
What are “third countries” and “third country nationals”?
“Third country” is an economically neutral term used in the context of migration, or the movement of people. It has no connection with the level of economic or cultural development country of origin. Countries like New Zealand, Canada, Honduras, Russia, Japan or Nigeria are “third countries” for residents of Latvia. In the European Union (EU), this term refers to all countries that are not members of the EU, or members of the European Economic Area (in addition to the EU, it also includes Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), or Switzerland. At all in simple words- Latvia is the “first country” for us, mentioned by the EU, European economic zone and Switzerland are “second countries” with which we are bound by special contractual relations, and all the rest are “third countries”. This term may not sound euphonious, but that is its legal origin.
“Third country” is a concept that is also used in relation to consular services - the procedure for issuing visas for travel in cases where a visa is required to enter another (“second”) country when you are not in your own (“first”) country. This can happen, for example, if there is no such embassy or consulate in Latvia. Then we have to deliver our travel document (usually a passport) to some “third” country where the consulate of the country we want to go to is located. You may need to change your route while you are already outside Latvia. Then there is nothing else to do but look for the nearest embassy or consulate of the relevant country.
"Third World Country" means something completely different.
Who are the inhabitants of “third world countries”?
The concept of the "Third World" was coined by the French anthropologist and demographer Alfred Sauvy ( Alfred Sauvy) in 1952. It can be found in his article "Three Worlds, One Planet" in the magazine L'Observatour in the issue of August 14 of the same year. In the early fifties, it was clear that the political, economic, and also military order of the planet after the Second World War had changed significantly with the strengthening of two opposing systems that began to emerge even earlier - around the first decades of the twentieth century, when parts of the world rapidly industrialized, often even at the expense of their colonies and their natural resources. It maintained the rapid pace of industrial development in the second half of the twentieth century, but the colonies were gradually lost. In the first half of the century, after 1917, several countries with completely different economic model, such as the USSR and Chinese People's Republic. They too industrialized, but their economy was centrally planned and their only official ideology was communist. After World War II, a number of satellite countries of the USSR joined this system, which official names were called "socialist" or "people's republics".
Sauvy then called these two systems the “first” and “second world,” respectively. However, he also noted that all countries of the world do not fit into such a model - neither economically nor political sense. There was also a “third world”. Sauvy did not at all treat countries that were not part of the model of two economic and ideological systems with pejorative regard. One could say exactly the opposite - he made sure that their interests were sufficiently represented and protected. “After all, this ignored, exploited, despised third world also wants to be heard,” he wrote. The designation Sovie created began to be used more and more widely, both in journalism and in academic texts. True, this division was not sufficiently consistent and unambiguous. Some included in the group of third world countries all the so-called non-aligned countries, or those that did not join NATO, the Warsaw Pact, or other military blocs. Thus, such economically very developed countries as Sweden, Finland or Austria. Others used the geographical principle, calling the Third World everything that was south of the United States and Europe. Someone else adhered to economic criteria, calling third world countries those countries whose economies have a large specific gravity traditional agriculture still had, and sharp economic inequalities also remained. The concept of a “third world country” was not really a good one to begin with, no matter how popular it may have been. And it is even more problematic today, after the destruction of the communist system in Europe. The economic dynamics are also different. To which “world” do we classify the still officially communist, but economically, perhaps, still capitalist power China?
"Third World Countries" is a designation that is still used with the parallel concept of "newly industrialized countries" in relation to countries such as Brazil, Mexico and especially the "Asian Tigers" Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, the pace of economic development of which is now faster than that of many European countries. However, the problems of the Third World are the same as they were fifty years ago. This is poverty, low average duration life and level of education, gender inequality, insufficient healthcare and high corruption, sometimes political instability. Globalization processes have also been unfair to these countries, and their debts have grown.
It is therefore not surprising that the term “third world countries” can seem contemptuous. I think its use should be avoided completely, but in any case we must remember that the “third world” and “third countries” are different things.
If you are a third country national- that is, you are not from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, but from any other country, we invite you as part of the project “ Information Center for immigrants" (ICI) get FREE consultations and answers to questions that interest you, for example:
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Theory three worlds- a conditional concept.
Today there is no clear division of territory according to this principle, however, there is a ranking of countries according to the level of GDP (the amount of domestic national product per capita of the country).
Thus, states are conventionally divided into three groups:
- GDP per person is more than 9 thousand US dollars.
- GDP per person is over 6 thousand US dollars.
- GDP no more than 750 US dollars per person.
The third group includes third world countries. Wikipedia, citing data from Morgan Stanley, claims that now everything developing countries accounts for half of world GDP.
History of the term
The division of all countries into groups on political and economic grounds was proposed by Mao Zedong. He included the superpowers - the USSR and the USA - in the first world; the second world was represented by intermediate powers - Europe, Canada, Japan. The Third World is all of Africa, Latin America and Asia.
There was also a Western theory of division into worlds, its author was Alfred Sauvy. On March 5, 1946, the cold confrontation between the USA and the USSR began. Differences arose over military, economic, ideological and geopolitical issues. IN cold war each side had allies. Soviet Union collaborated with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, China and other countries.
Many European states, as well as Thailand, Turkey, Japan, and Israel, supported the United States. Some countries remained neutral in the Cold War, and they were called the third world or developing countries.
Since 1952, states with low level economic development. By the end of the 20th century, some countries in this group were able to make a leap in their economy and overtake developed countries.
Developing countries today
According to UN terminology, the third world refers to developing countries. They share common characteristics in economics, politics and culture. The colonial period played a major role in the formation of common characteristics.
In these territories, manual production predominated; after independence, a sharp transition to industrial methods of labor organization began. Since there was no sequence of phases of economic development, sectors of the national economy were developed inharmoniously.
In developing countries, pre-industrial and modern types production. In most third world countries there is practically no foreign and private investment; the state itself has to play the role of an investor to increase the rate of economic growth. Except general characteristics, developing countries have a number of inconsistent characteristics.
Differences between developing countries
In the 21st century, many third world countries have the opportunity to develop thanks to economic ties with leading countries. The West invests in the economy, education, and medicine, but often civil unrest occurs in such countries, which slows down economic development. For many, the pressing question is whether Russia is a third world country. No, Russia is on this moment belongs to rapidly developing countries.
List of third world countries
There are several lists of developing countries:
List of developing states according to the UN
| Africa | Asia | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Northern- Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco South - Angola, South Africa, Mauritius, Zambia, Namibia Central - Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Gabon Western - Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Liberia, Nigeria Eastern - Comoros, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan. | Eastern - K China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam South - India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Western - Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Omar, Qatar, UAE, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia. | Caribbean - Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica Mexico and Central America - Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua South America - Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela |
Unlike the UN, the IMF included among the developing countries of the CIS and Russia, as well as some European countries- Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Poland, Lithuania. In turn, the World Bank classifies Russia as a developed country. Such disagreements once again confirm that it is impossible to strictly divide the world along economic lines; all classifications are conditional.
In the 21st century, some states that were previously considered lagging behind are divided into a separate subgroup - oil-producing ones. It includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain. They have become the richest countries in the world, the largest exporters of oil, but the unidirectionality and imbalance of the economy does not allow them to become developed.
According to the classification of the UN, IMF and World Bank, countries with negative economic growth rates - Togo, Ethiopia, Chad and other countries in Africa and Latin America - are in the same group with the richest oil exporters. Up to 90% of their economy is the agricultural sector, which is not able to provide raw materials and food to the needs of the local market. Such states are united in a subgroup - underdeveloped.
The largest third subgroup are states with an average level of development - Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Algeria. Developed here international trade, the problem of hunger and poverty is absent. Thanks to internal resources these states great prospects development, but they have a large external debt and a significant technological gap with developed countries.
The theory of developing countries will exist in various systems under different names. The lists of states will be updated, as many states will be able to rise to the level of developed ones, overcoming the barrier of backwardness.
“Numbering the worlds” appeared in the mid-20th century, when the threat of a third world war arose, which led to the formation of two camps - capitalist and socialist. Third world countries, the list of which remains virtually unchanged, are now considered to be developing states, although this term originally meant something else.
To fully understand the issue, it is necessary to understand some of the features of the geopolitical structure of the world.
Until recently, all states existing on planet Earth were divided into three groups:
- The “golden billion” are capitalist countries with a developed economy, a high standard of living, a powerful army and other signs of a civilized power.
- Former countries of the socialist camp. First of all, this is Russia and all other states and republics that wanted to build communism through socialism.
- Developing countries with a low standard of living, a “thin” budget, not very good social sphere etc., but which are essentially independent economic entities with all state attributes.
"Fourth World"
It is noteworthy that now more and more often the term “fourth world countries” can be heard from the mouths of political scientists, sociologists and scientists.
These are usually considered to be the poorest states that have nothing but sovereignty, a capital and borders. The population is so poor that it does not have cell phones, but even simple things that are vital for every person.
A constant shortage of food, medicine, clothing, and water is exactly what characterizes the “fourth world,” which can easily include Afghanistan and some African states and republics (Zimbabwe, Congo, Chad, etc.).
"Third World": where it all began
In 1952, the French scientist Alfred Sauvy wrote an article in which he invoked the then obscure term “third world states.”
This is interesting! This is what Sauvy called countries that were not members of NATO or belonged to the Warsaw Pact organization and occupied a neutral position.
As people say, “neither for the reds nor for the whites.” The two opposing camps constantly tried to lure neutrals to their side, for which they used various tools, for example, fraternal aid and donations for starving children in Africa.
In the 70s last century, an attempt was made to make the third world an independent international political force, but it was not particularly successful, which can be explained for various reasons, among which is fragmentation and differences in mentalities. What are third world countries now?
According to UN terminology, these are developing states that can be divided into three groups based on territorial and economic characteristics:
- Latin American countries. Each of them has many problems, but today Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico have managed to achieve good results.
- Asian states. They belong to the category of moderately developed, although this can be argued, given the latest achievements of the Celestial Empire.
- African countries. Underdeveloped in economically, but they don’t have any problems with demographics, which seriously aggravates the situation.
Signs of third world countries
All developing countries, regardless of geographical location and individual characteristics way of life there is something in common. Colonial period– this is exactly what contributed to the formation of common characteristics.
After independence, a massive transition began from manual labor to widespread industrialization, as a result of which some industries went far ahead while others remained far behind. Economic development happened, but with a gross violation of the sequence of phases.
Therefore, to this day, modern technologies peacefully coexist with hard physical labor, and the Kingdom of Thailand is an example of this.
Important! Third world countries are not for investors the best option, because just one inopportune military coup could jeopardize the success of the entire event.
Political instability hinders development, so states have to independently find funds to take on the function of an investor. This is not easy to do, since the entire social sphere depends on a meager budget.
Variable signs:
- Mineral deposits are concentrated in the territory, but there is no possibility for their efficient extraction.
- Scientific potential is insufficiently developed.
- Unemployment.
- The structure of society, which has not changed over centuries ( social groups, formed according to a number of criteria, for example, fraternity or kinship).
- Lack of a middle class. A person is either rich or poor, although it cannot be said that there is no intermediate link at all. It is there, but it is weakly expressed.
- Mortality and birth rates are quite high.
- Complete or partial lack of medical care.
- Tax and banking system are poorly developed, and management is experiencing a constant shortage of personnel, which is explained by the lack of qualified specialists in all areas.
- Vague legislation.
- Poor social and living conditions.
- Low level of education.
- Civil wars, popular unrest, dictatorial regimes, military conflicts.
List of third world states
According to the World Bank
The classification is updated annually on the first of July. For this purpose, the World Bank uses such a macroeconomic parameter as the level of gross national income per capita.
This allows you to determine not only compliance with lending conditions, but also the affiliation of a specific entity. What are third world countries, according to bankers?
States with low and middle income per capita. It is noteworthy that this list is non-standard and may change depending on the economic situation.
For example, in 2012 Russian Federation was included in the “above average income” group, and a year later - into the “high income” group. The World Bank classifies Russia as a developed country.
According to the IMF
Which countries belong to the third world according to the IMF? International currency board divides all powers into two groups: industrialized (industrial) and developing, with an emerging market.
It is worth mentioning that this qualification applies only to IMF member states, and since Cuba, China, Afghanistan, Liberia, Somalia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina are not such countries, their economic indicators are not taken into account.
Along with groups, there are also subgroups formed taking into account analytical, financial, and geographical factors.
According to analysts, all CIS member countries are developing, but they have nothing in common with the Middle East and Africa, which are in other subgroups.
According to the UN
The classification is based on basic economic indicators, and Russia is not included in the list of “third-rate” states. For convenience, all third world countries are first of all classified according to geographical location, For example, North Africa(Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia).
As for the “European” and “Asian” countries, not everything is so simple. For example, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and most of their neighbors are clearly part of the system that is commonly called the “Third World”.
But where should we include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and others? whole line former Soviet republics, which do not completely belong to this category, because they were once part of the Warsaw Pact organization, as well as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc., is unclear.
IN former countries The socialist camp retained obvious features of the “second world”, which are gradually disappearing. Even Wikipedia, being a fairly authoritative online publication, is confused in its testimony and cannot give an intelligible answer. The situation is also complicated by the fact that some states occupy an intermediate position. AND shining example that is China, which now lives on the border of the third and second worlds.
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Let's sum it up
All classifications are conditional, but this does not mean that the United States or EU member countries can be identified as third world states, because they do not have “third-rate” characteristics. Many people have the impression that the labels of “third world” are stuck to many states forever, and this list is unlikely to undergo major changes in the near future.
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