The fourth world: Least Developed Countries
The 47 least developed countries are often referred to as the Fourth World. These are the countries at the lowest end of the poverty scale with the lowest level of development. The official abbreviation LDC is often confused with the "low developed countries". Therefore LLDC is also used.The current 47 countries, with a total of 1.03 bn people, account for 13.46% of the world's population. The vast majority comes from Africa. This is followed by a few countries in Southeast Asia, as well as Oceania. Europe and America are unrepresented, with one exception (Haiti).

Country | Population | GNI per capita | Human Asset Index | Health Index | Educational Index |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 38.0 M | 530 USD | 48.4 | 66.9 | 29.9 |
Angola | 31.8 M | 2,960 USD | 52.5 | 67.2 | 37.9 |
Bangladesh | 163.0 M | 1,940 USD | 73.2 | 84.7 | 61.6 |
Benin | 11.8 M | 1,250 USD | 49.8 | 68.2 | 31.3 |
Bhutan | 0.8 M | 3,140 USD | 72.9 | 83.2 | 62.6 |
Burkina Faso | 20.3 M | 780 USD | 42.9 | 66.3 | 19.5 |
Burma | 54.0 M | 1,390 USD | 68.5 | 80.3 | 56.6 |
Burundi | 11.5 M | 280 USD | 38.5 | 34.5 | 42.4 |
Cambodia | 16.5 M | 1,530 USD | 68.9 | 85.8 | 52.1 |
Central African Republic | 4.7 M | 520 USD | 17.4 | 22.8 | 11.9 |
Chad | 15.9 M | 700 USD | 22.1 | 37.3 | 6.9 |
Comoros | 0.9 M | 1,400 USD | 49.4 | 54.7 | 44.1 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | 86.8 M | 530 USD | 41.9 | 30.4 | 53.3 |
Djibouti | 1.0 M | 3,310 USD | 58.0 | 78.5 | 37.6 |
East Timor | 1.3 M | 2,020 USD | 66.6 | 74.0 | 59.3 |
Eritrea | 3.5 M | 600 USD | 42.9 | 47.9 | 37.9 |
Ethiopia | 112.1 M | 850 USD | 45.3 | 67.3 | 23.3 |
Gambia | 2.3 M | 750 USD | 51.8 | 66.0 | 37.7 |
Guinea | 12.8 M | 930 USD | 39.5 | 58.3 | 20.7 |
Guinea-Bissau | 1.9 M | 820 USD | 41.7 | 56.1 | 27.3 |
Haiti | 11.3 M | 1,330 USD | 48.0 | 55.4 | 40.6 |
Kiribati | 0.1 M | 3,350 USD | 84.0 | 88.7 | 79.2 |
Laos | 7.2 M | 2,570 USD | 72.8 | 77.0 | 68.5 |
Lesotho | 2.1 M | 1,380 USD | 61.6 | 64.4 | 58.7 |
Liberia | 4.9 M | 580 USD | 37.2 | 47.3 | 27.1 |
Madagascar | 27.0 M | 520 USD | 54.5 | 62.2 | 46.8 |
Malawi | 18.6 M | 380 USD | 52.5 | 61.7 | 43.3 |
Mali | 19.7 M | 870 USD | 43.1 | 63.4 | 22.8 |
Mauritania | 4.5 M | 1,660 USD | 46.9 | 68.8 | 25.1 |
Mozambique | 30.4 M | 490 USD | 45.8 | 62.1 | 29.5 |
Nepal | 28.6 M | 1,090 USD | 71.2 | 86.3 | 56.2 |
Niger | 23.3 M | 600 USD | 35.4 | 64.8 | 6.0 |
Rwanda | 12.6 M | 830 USD | 55.0 | 66.2 | 43.7 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 0.2 M | 1,930 USD | 86.0 | 86.3 | 85.8 |
Senegal | 16.3 M | 1,460 USD | 57.1 | 80.4 | 33.9 |
Sierra Leone | 7.8 M | 540 USD | 27.4 | 31.4 | 23.4 |
Solomon Islands | 0.7 M | 2,390 USD | 74.8 | 88.8 | 60.8 |
Somalia | 15.4 M | 16.7 | 23.3 | 10.0 | |
South Sudan | 11.1 M | 460 USD | 25.8 | 50.4 | 1.2 |
Sudan | 42.8 M | 590 USD | 53.0 | 68.9 | 37.2 |
Tanzania | 58.0 M | 1,080 USD | 56.0 | 64.4 | 47.6 |
Togo | 8.1 M | 690 USD | 61.8 | 73.0 | 50.7 |
Tuvalu | 0.0 M | 5,620 USD | 90.1 | 91.4 | 88.9 |
Uganda | 44.3 M | 780 USD | 50.2 | 63.0 | 37.5 |
Vanuatu | 0.3 M | 3,210 USD | 78.5 | 93.3 | 63.7 |
Yemen | 29.2 M | 940 USD | 59.2 | 67.0 | 51.4 |
Zambia | 17.9 M | 1,430 USD | 58.6 | 60.4 | 56.8 |
Definition and criteria
Until 1990, countries were classified mainly on the basis of their average per capita income, but also industrial development and literacy rates. There were changes in this assessment in 1991 and again in 2009. As things stand at present, a least developed country meets the following conditions:- The average income in a 3-year average is less than 992 US dollars.
- A least developed country should have less than 75 million inhabitants, although exceptions are made here, e.g. Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
- The food situation in the country must be particularly drastic on the basis of the Human Assets Index (HAI). This includes data on nutrition, infant mortality and education.
- The Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) is a UN-created measure of economic vulnerability. It identifies particularly weak states.