Least developed countries

Least developed countries, or LDCs, are nations identified by the United Nations as having the lowest levels of socioeconomic development. This idea started in the late 1960s, and the first list of LDCs was created by the UN in 1971.

A country becomes an LDC if it meets three main criteria: poverty, low human assets, and economic vulnerability. Poverty is measured by a country’s average income over three years. As of 2024, a country must have an income below US$1,088 to be listed. Low human assets look at things like health, education, and literacy, with a score below 60 needed to qualify. Economic vulnerability checks how dependent a country is on farming, exports, and other unstable economic factors, requiring a score above 36.

As of December 2024, 44 countries are still classified as LDCs. Between 1994 and 2024, eight countries moved off the list because their economies improved. The World Trade Organization helps these countries grow by supporting better trade and investment opportunities.

Overview

The United Nations lists certain countries as the least developed. These countries show the lowest levels of socioeconomic development. Every three years, the Committee for Development Policy checks if any country should move out of this list if it improves enough.

As of December 2024, 44 countries are classified as the least developed. In 2011, leaders set a goal to help at least half of these countries improve within ten years. By 2018, it was expected that ten or more would no longer be on the list, with Bangladesh already meeting all requirements in 2018.

Some countries that once qualified chose not to be listed, feeling the data might not be accurate. These include Ghana (since 1994), Papua New Guinea (since 2009), and Zimbabwe (since 2018).

Usage and abbreviations

Further information: Developing country § Criticisms of the term

Least developed countries are different from developing countries and other similar terms like "less developed countries."

The term "less economically developed country" (LEDC) is also used, but to avoid confusion, people usually say "developing country" instead of "less-developed country." This helps keep things clear, especially when talking about gross national income and other important details.

UN conferences

There have been five United Nations conferences about countries that are developing very slowly. These conferences happen every ten years. The first two were in Paris in 1981 and 1991, and the third was in Brussels in 2001.

The fourth conference was in Istanbul, Turkey, from May 9 to 13, 2011. Many important leaders attended, including the head of the UN. They talked about helping these countries grow better. The fifth conference happened in two parts, first in New York in March 2022 and then in Doha in March 2023.

Trade

The way countries trade with each other is very important for the least developed countries (LDCs). When the World Trade Organization tried to make new trade rules in a meeting called the Doha Round, it did not finish. During another meeting in Hong Kong, leaders agreed that LDCs could sell goods to the United States without paying extra fees if the rules were finished. However, some groups worried that the rules might not help LDCs as much as they hoped.

Special helpers at the WTO work to make sure LDCs get fair treatment when trading. At a big meeting of world leaders in Kananaskis, Alberta, a plan was made to help LDCs grow through trade instead of just giving them help. The United Nations also supports fair treatment for LDCs in trade talks.

Some countries already give LDCs special help with trade. For example, the European Union lets LDCs sell almost everything without extra fees. Switzerland also lets LDCs sell all their products freely. Starting December 2, 2024, China will also remove extra fees for goods from LDCs that have friendly relations with them. This includes many countries in Africa and others like Yemen, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and East Timor.

List of countries

The following 44 countries were still listed as least developed countries by the United Nations as of December 2024: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, and Zambia.

There are 32 countries that are classified as least developed countries in Africa, 8 in Asia, 3 in Oceania, and 1 in the Americas.