Odtnhj

World map representing Human Development Index categories (based on 2017 data, published in 2018)^[1]

1.000–0.800 (very high)   0.700–0.799 (high)   0.555–0.699 (medium)

0.350–0.554 (low)   Data unavailable

  Advanced economies

  Emerging and developing economies (not least developed)

  Emerging and developing economies (least developed)

Classifications by the IMF and the UN

^[2]

A developed country, industrialized country, more developed country, or more economically developed country (MEDC), is a sovereign state that has a developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. Most commonly, the criteria for evaluating the degree of economic development are gross domestic product (GDP), gross national product (GNP), the per capita income, level of industrialization, amount of widespread infrastructure and general standard of living.^[3] Which criteria are to be used and which countries can be classified as being developed are subjects of debate.

Developed countries have generally post-industrial economies, meaning the service sector provides more wealth than the industrial sector. They are contrasted with developing countries, which are in the process of industrialization or pre-industrial and almost entirely agrarian, some of which might fall into the category of least developed countries. As of 2015, advanced economies comprise 60.8% of global GDP based on nominal values and 42.9% of global GDP based on purchasing-power parity (PPP) according to the International Monetary Fund.^[4] In 2017, the ten largest advanced economies by GDP in both nominal and PPP terms were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.^[5]

Similar terms

Terms linked to the concept developed country include "advanced country", "industrialized country", "'more developed country" (MDC), "more economically developed country" (MEDC), "Global North country", "first world country", and "post-industrial country". The term industrialized country may be somewhat ambiguous, as industrialization is an ongoing process that is hard to define. The first industrialized country was the United Kingdom, followed by Belgium. Later it spread further to Germany, United States, France and other Western European countries. According to some economists such as Jeffrey Sachs, however, the current divide between the developed and developing world is largely a phenomenon of the 20th century.^[6]

Definition and criteria

Economic criteria have tended to dominate discussions. One such criterion is income per capita; countries with high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita would thus be described as developed countries. Another economic criterion is industrialization; countries in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors of industry dominate would thus be described as developed. More recently another measure, the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines an economic measure, national income, with other measures, indices for life expectancy and education has become prominent. This criterion would define developed countries as those with a very high (HDI) rating. The index, however, does not take into account several factors, such as the net wealth per capita or the relative quality of goods in a country. This situation tends to lower the ranking for some of the most advanced countries, such as the G7 members and others.^[7][8]

According to the United Nations Statistics Division:

There is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas in the United Nations system.^[9]

And it notes that:

The designations "developed" and "developing" are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process.^[10]

Human Development Index (HDI)

The UN HDI is a statistical measure that gauges a country's level of human development. While there is a strong correlation between having a high HDI score and a prosperous economy, the UN points out that the HDI accounts for more than income or productivity. Unlike GDP per capita or per capita income, the HDI takes into account how income is turned "into education and health opportunities and therefore into higher levels of human development."

Since 1990, Norway (2001–2006, 2009–2017), Japan (1990–1991 and 1993), Canada (1992 and 1994–2000) and Iceland (2007–2008) have had the highest HDI score.

Many countries listed by IMF or^{[Note 1]} CIA as "advanced", possess an HDI over 0.800, the threshold for "very high" human development. Many countries^{[Note 2]} possessing an HDI of 0.800 and over are also listed by IMF or CIA as "advanced". Thus, many "advanced economies" are characterized by an HDI score of 0.800 or higher. Since April 2016, the IMF classifies Macau as an advanced economy.^[11]

The 2018 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme was released on 14 September 2018, and calculates HDI values based on estimates for 2017.^{[citation needed]} Below is the list of the "very high human development" countries:^[12]

• 
  = increase.


• 
  = steady.


• 
  = decrease.


• The number in parentheses represents the number of ranks the country has climbed (up or down) relative to the ranking in the year of 2016.

Rank Country/Territory HDI 2018 rankings [1] Change in rank from previous year[1] 2018 rankings [1] Change from previous year [1] 1  Norway 0.953 0.002 2   Switzerland 0.944 0.001 3  Australia 0.939 0.001 4  Ireland 0.938 0.004 5 (1)  Germany 0.936 0.002 6  Iceland 0.935 0.002 7 (1)  Hong Kong 0.933 0.003 7  Sweden 0.933 0.001 9 (1)  Singapore 0.932 0.002 10  Netherlands 0.931 0.003 11 (1)  Denmark 0.929 0.001 12  Canada 0.926 0.004 13 (1)  United States 0.924 0.002 14  United Kingdom 0.922 0.002 15  Finland 0.920 0.002 16  New Zealand 0.917 0.002 17 (1)  Belgium 0.916 0.001 17 (1)  Liechtenstein 0.916 0.001 19  Japan 0.909 0.002 20  Austria 0.908 0.002 21  Luxembourg 0.904 0.001 22  Israel 0.903 0.001 22 (1)  South Korea 0.903 0.003 24  France 0.901 0.002 25  Slovenia 0.896 0.002 26  Spain 0.891 0.002 27  Czech Republic 0.888 0.003 28  Italy 0.880 0.002 29  Malta 0.878 0.003 30  Estonia 0.871 0.003

Rank Country HDI 2018 rankings [1] Change in rank from previous year[1] 2018 rankings [1] Change from previous year [1] 31 (1)  Greece 0.870 0.002 32  Cyprus 0.869 0.002 33 (1)  Poland 0.865 0.005 34 (1)  United Arab Emirates 0.863 0.001 35  Andorra 0.858 0.002 35 (1)  Lithuania 0.858 0.003 37 (1)  Qatar 0.856 0.001 38 (1)  Slovakia 0.855 0.002 39 (1)  Brunei 0.853 0.001 39 (1)  Saudi Arabia 0.853 0.001 41 (2)  Latvia 0.847 0.003 41 (1)  Portugal 0.847 0.002 43 (2)  Bahrain 0.846 44  Chile 0.843 0.001 45  Hungary 0.838 0.003 46  Croatia 0.831 0.003 47  Argentina 0.825 0.003 48 (1)  Oman 0.821 0.001 49  Russia 0.816 0.001 50  Montenegro 0.814 0.004 51 (1)  Bulgaria 0.813 0.003 52  Romania 0.811 0.004 53 (1)  Belarus 0.808 0.003 54 (1)  Bahamas 0.807 0.001 55 (1)  Uruguay 0.804 0.002 56 (1)  Kuwait 0.803 0.001 57  Malaysia 0.802 0.003 58 (1)  Barbados 0.800 0.001 58 (2)  Kazakhstan 0.800 0.003

As a non-UN member, the government of Taiwan calculates its own HDI, which had a value of 0.907 in 2017,^{[13][need quotation to verify]} ranked 21 globally. Additionally, while the HDI for the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong is calculated by the UN, it is not for Macau. The Macanese government calculated the territory's HDI to be 0.868 in 2011. These values place both Taiwan and Macau well within the list of countries with "Very high human development".^[14] Furthermore, in 2009 a United Nations project calculated the HDI for all of its members, as well as Taiwan, Macau, and many dependent territories. The HDI values for the countries of San Marino and Monaco, which have not been included in official annual HDI reports, were found to be at 0.961 and 0.956 respectively. This places both countries firmly within the category of countries with "Very high human development" as well. The dependent territories with HDI values equivalent to "Very high human development" were: Jersey, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Norfolk Island, Faroe Islands, Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Greenland, and Guam.^[15] Of note, the HDI values in the 2009 report were calculated using the old HDI formula, while HDI values after the year 2010 are calculated with a different formula.

High-income economies

Some institutions have produced lists of developed countries: the UN (list shown above), the CIA,^[16] and some providers of stock market indices (the FTSE Group, MSCI, S&P, Dow Jones, STOXX, etc.). The latter is not included here because its association of developed countries with countries with both high incomes and developed markets is not deemed as directly relevant.^{[why?][Note 3]}

However many other institutions have created more general lists referred to when discussing developed countries. For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identifies 39 "advanced economies".^[11][17] The OECD's 36 members are known as the "developed countries club"^[18][19][20] The World Bank identifies 81 "high income countries".^[21]

World Bank high-income economies

World Bank high-income economies in 2019

According to the World Bank the following 81 countries (including territories) are classified as "high-income economies".^[21] As of 2018, High-income economies are those that had a GNI per capita of $12,056 or more - in 2017.

36 countries and territories wholly or partly in Europe:

19 countries and territories wholly or partly in North America:

15 countries and territories wholly or partly in Asia:

7 countries and territories wholly or partly in Oceania:

3 countries wholly or partly in South America:

1 country wholly or partly in Africa:

^cBetween 1994 and 2009, as part of the  Netherlands Antilles.

High-income OECD members

According to the World Bank, the following 34 members are classified as "OECD High-Income": ^[22][23]

26 countries wholly or partly in Europe:

3 countries wholly or partly in Asia:

• 
   Israel
  


• 
   Japan
  


• 
   South Korea
  

2 countries in North America:

• 
   Canada
  


• 
   United States
  

2 countries wholly or partly in Oceania:

• 
   Australia
  


• 
   New Zealand
  

1 country wholly or partly in South America:

• 
   Chile
  

Development Assistance Committee members

Member nations of the Development Assistance Committee

There are 29 OECD member countries and the European Union—in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC),^[24] a group of the world's major donor countries that discuss issues surrounding development aid and poverty reduction in developing countries.^[25] The following OECD member countries are DAC members:

23 countries wholly or partly in Europe:

2 countries wholly or partly in Asia:

2 countries wholly or partly in North America:

2 countries wholly or partly in Oceania:

IMF advanced economies

  Countries described as Advanced Economies by the IMF

According to the International Monetary Fund, the following 39 economies are classified as "advanced economies":^[11]

33 countries and territories wholly or partly in Europe:

8 countries and territories in Asia:

4 countries and territories in North America:

2 countries in Oceania-Antarctica:

^d The CIA has modified an older version of the IMF's list of Advanced Economies, noting that the IMF's Advanced Economies list "would presumably also cover the following nine smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Holy See, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino[...]"^[16]

Paris Club members

Permanent members of the Paris Club

There are 22 permanent members in the Paris Club (French: Club de Paris), a group of officials from major creditor countries whose role is to find coordinated and sustainable solutions to the payment difficulties experienced by debtor countries.

15 countries wholly or partly in Europe:

3 countries wholly or partly in Asia:

3 countries in the Americas:

1 country in Oceania:

Comparative Table (2018)

Comparative table of countries with "very high" human development (same or higher than 0.800), according to UNDP; members OECD; "advanced" economies, according to IMF; "high income" economies, according to World Bank and income per capita (purchasing power parity) higher than $22,000, acoording to IMF. _(ot)

Developed Countries
Countries	HDI [1]	OECD [26]	IMF [27]	WB [28]	per capita PPP [29]
2018
Lithuania	Yes since 2005	Yes since 2018	Yes since 2015	Yes since 2012	Yes since 2011
2016
Latvia	Yes since 2005	Yes since 2016	Yes since 2014	Yes since 2012	Yes since 2013
2011
Estonia	Yes since 2003	Yes since 2010	Yes since 2011	Yes since 2006	Yes since 2011
2010
Israel	Yes before 1990	Yes since 2010	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 2004
Slovenia	Yes since 1998	Yes since 2010	Yes since 2007	Yes since 1997	Yes since 2004
2009
Czech Republic	Yes since 2001	Yes since 1995	Yes since 2009	Yes since 2006	Yes since 2005
Slovak Republic	Yes since 2006	Yes since 2000	Yes since 2009	Yes since 2007	Yes since 2007
2005
Portugal	Yes since 2005	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1994	Yes since 2004
South Korea	Yes since 1999	Yes since 1996	Yes before 2001	Yes since 2001	Yes since 2005
2002
Greece	Yes since 2001	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1996	Yes since 2002
2001
New Zealand	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1973	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 2001
1999
Spain	Yes since 1995	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1999
1997
Finland	Yes since 1994	Yes since 1969	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1997
Ireland	Yes since 1996	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1997
1996
Iceland	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1996
United Kingdom	Yes since 1992	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1996
1995
Italy	Yes since 1995	Yes since 1962	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
Sweden	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1995
1994
Australia	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1971	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
Belgium	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
Canada	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
France	Yes since 1993	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
Luxembourg	Yes since 1994	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1985
1993
Japan	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1964	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1993
1992
Austria	Yes since 1991	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1992
1991
Denmark	Yes since 1991	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1991
Germany	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1991
Netherlands	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1991
1989
United States	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1989
1987
Norway	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1985
Switzerland	Yes before 1990	Yes since 1961	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1985
Countries to be considered developed in the future (1 pending recognition)
Countries	HDI [1]	OECD [26]	IMF [27]	WB [28]	per capita PPP [29]
Hungary	Yes since 2005	Yes since 1996	No	Yes since 2014	Yes since 2010
Chile	Yes since 2008	Yes since 2010	No	Yes since 2012	Yes since 2013
Poland	Yes since 2003	Yes since 1996	No	Yes since 2009	Yes since 2011
Malta	Yes since 2003	No	Yes since 2008	Yes since 2002	Yes since 2003
Cyprus	Yes since 2000	No	Yes since 2001	Yes since 1988	Yes since 1998
Singapore	Yes since 1999	No	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1990
Hong Kong	Yes before 1990	No	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1994
In process (2 pending recognitions)
Countries	HDI [1]	OECD [26]	IMF [27]	WB [28]	per capita PPP [29]
Croatia	Yes since 2007	No	No	Yes since 2017	Yes since 2015
Uruguay	Yes since 2014	No	No	Yes since 2012	Yes since 2017
Macau	No data	No	Yes since 2016	Yes since 1994	Yes before 1980
Puerto Rico	No data	No	Yes since 2016	Yes since 2002	Yes since 1998
Kuwait	Yes since 2015	No	No	Yes since 1987	Yes before 1980
Bahamas	Yes since 2012	No	No	Yes since 1987	Yes since 1997
Bahrain	Yes since 2012	No	No	Yes since 2001	Yes since 1986
Oman	Yes since 2012	No	No	Yes since 2007	Yes since 1991
San Marino	No data	No	Yes since 2012	Yes since 2000	Yes before 1980
Saudi Arabia	Yes since 2010	No	No	Yes since 2004	Yes since 1985
Taiwan	No data	No	Yes before 2001	Yes since 1987	Yes since 2002
United Arab Emirates	Yes since 2001	No	No	Yes since 1987	Yes before 1980
Qatar	Yes since 1997	No	No	Yes since 1987	Yes before 1980
Brunei	Yes since 1994	No	No	Yes since 1990	Yes before 1980
Other recognitions
Countries	HDI [1]	OECD [26]	IMF [27]	WB [28]	per capita PPP [29]
Argentina	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Andorra	Yes	No	No	Yes	No data
Antigua and Barbuda	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2014
Aruba	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Barbados	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Bermuda	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Belarus	Yes	No	No	No	No
British Virgin Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Bulgaria	Yes	No	No	No	No
Cayman Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Channel Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Curacao	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Equatorial Guinea	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2002
Faroe Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
French Polynesia	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Gibraltar	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Greenland	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Guam	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Isle of Man	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Kazakhstan	Yes	No	No	No	Yes since 2012
Liechtenstein	Yes	No	No	Yes	No data
Malaysia	Yes	No	No	No	Yes since 2012
Mauritius	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2017
Mexico	No	Yes since 1994	No	No	No
Monaco	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Montenegro	Yes	No	No	No	No
New Caledonia	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Northern Mariana Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Palau	No	No	No	Yes	No
Panama	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2015
Romania	Yes	No	No	No	Yes since 2016
Russia	Yes	No	No	No	Yes since 2010
Saint Kitts and Nevis	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2013
Seychelles	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2012
Sint Maarten	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
Trinidad and Tobago	No	No	No	Yes	Yes since 2005
Turkey	No	Yes since 1961	No	No	No
Turks and Caicos Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data
United States Virgin Islands	No data	No	No	Yes	No data

See also

Notes

References

External links

• 
  IMF (advanced economies)


• 
  The Economist (quality of life survey)


• 
  The World Factbook (developed countries)


• 
  United Nations Statistics Division (definition)


• 
  List of countries, United Nations Statistics Division (developed regions)


• 
  World Bank (high-income economies)