Third World

:For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band).

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Third World was a term originally used to distinguish nations that neither aligned with the West nor with the East during the Cold War, including many members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Today, however, the term is used to denote nations with a low UN Human Development Index (HDI), independent of their political status. Many "third world" countries are located in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. They are often nations that were colonized by another nation in the past. The populations of third world countries are generally very poor but with high birth rates. In general they are not as industrialized or technologically advanced as OECD countries.

Related Topics:
Cold War - Non-Aligned Movement - UN Human Development Index - Latin America - Colonize - Population - Industrialize - OECD

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The majority of the countries in the world fit this classification.

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These countries are also known as the Global South, developing countries, least developed countries and the Majority World in academic circles. Development workers also call them the two-thirds world (because 2/3rds of the world is underdeveloped) and The South. Some dislike the term developing countries as it may imply that economic development (industrialisation) is the only way forward, while they believe it is not necessarily the most beneficial. The term Third World is also disliked as it may imply the false notion that those countries are not a part of the global economic system. Some note that the underdevelopment of Africa, Asia and South America during the Cold War was influenced, or even caused by the Cold War economic, political, and military maneuverings of the most powerful nations of the time.

Related Topics:
Developing countries - Least developed countries - Majority World - Economic development - Industrialisation - Africa - Asia - South America - Cold War

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The term Fourth World is used by some writers to describe the poorest Third World countries, those which lack industrial infrastructure and the means to build it. More commonly, however, the term is used to describe either indigenous peoples or other oppressed minority groups within any country.

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