CLASSIFYING COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

FOUR WORLDS
After the Second World War, the world split into two major
geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with conflicting
political views about government and the right society.
FIRST WORLD SECOND WORLD
The bloc of democratic- The Eastern bloc of the communist-
industrialized countries socialist states, where the political
within the American and economic power should come
sphere of influence, the "First from the up to now
World," also known as The West. oppressed peasants
and workers.

THIRD FOURTH
WORLD WORLD
The remaining The term "Fourth World"
three-quarters of was coined in the early
the world population, countries 1970s by Shuswap Chief George
that did not belong to either bloc, Manuel, it refers to widely unknown
were considered "Third World." nations (cultural entities) of
indigenous peoples, "First Nations"
living within or across national state
boundaries.
First, there was the three worlds model
The origin of the terminology is unclear. In 1952 Alfred Sauvy, a
French demographer wrote an article in the French magazine
L'Observateur which ended by comparing the Third World with the
Third Estate. "Ce Tiers Monde ignoré, exploité, méprisé comme le
Tiers État" (this ignored Third World, exploited, scorned like the
Third Estate). Other sources claim that Charles de Gaulle coined
the term Third World, maybe de Gaulle only has quoted Sauvy.
 The term First World refers to the developed, capitalist, industrial countries,
generally aligned with NATO and the USA. The bloc of countries aligned with the
United States after World War II, which had more or less common political and
economic interests, this included the countries of North America and Western
Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Some African countries were
assigned to the First World because of their links with Western countries.
Western Sahara was part of Spain at that time. The anticommunist Apartheid
Regime of South Africa was until May 1961, a member of the Commonwealth, and Namibia was
then known as South West Africa and was administered by South Africa. Angola and Mozambique
were run by the Portuguese like companies.

There were some "neutral" states in Europe, such as Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, and
Finland, but they can be classified as First World in this context.

The term First World originally refers to the capitalist,

industrialized countries, within the Western European
and United States' sphere of influence, (e.g. member
states of the NATO). The term also includes other
industrialized countries such as Japan and some of the
former British colonies, particularly Australia, New
Zealand, and South Africa. Whoever uses the term today
in a variety of meanings, mostly tries to describe the top
end of the evolution of countries. Nations with the most advanced economy, highest standard of living,
and the most advanced technology, the greatest influence in the world. The term could also means:
industrialized nations, developed countries, rich countries or the civilized world.
 The Second World refers to the former communist-socialist, less industrialized
states known as the Eastern Bloc. The countries in the sphere of influence of the
Soviet Union; it included the Soviet Socialist republics, the countries of Eastern
and Central Europe, e.g., Poland, East Germany (GDR), Czechoslovakia, and the
Balkans. And there were the Asian communist states in the sphere of influence of
China, - Mongolia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The term "Second World" refers to

the former communist-socialist,
industrial states, the territory and
sphere of influence of the Union of
Soviet Socialists Republic (Soviet
Union).

Communist Yugoslavia was the only

eastern European country which was
not aligned with the Soviet Union.
 The Third World was all the other countries. The mainly underdeveloped agricultural
states and nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where the blessings of
civilization benefited only a small ruling elite and the corporations and upper classes
of the former colonial powers. In principle, the term Third World is outdated but still
in use; today, the politically correct designation would be less developed countries.

The term Third World was originally coined in times of the Cold War to distinguish those nations that
are neither aligned with the West (NATO) nor with the East, the Communist bloc. Today the term is
often used to describe the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. Many
poorer nations adopted the term to describe themselves.
THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF THEIR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The Human Development Index (HDI) is published annually by the UN.

It measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human
development:

1. Life Expectancy Index (LEI): Life expectancy at birth (in years); 2. Education Index (EI) Mean
years of schooling (in years), and Expected years of schooling (in years), and 3. Income Index (II):
Per capita income (PPP $).

Definitions:
Human Development Index (HDI): A composite index measuring average achievement in three
basic dimensions of human development-a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard
of living.

Life expectancy at birth: Number of years a newborn infant could expect to live if prevailing
patterns of age-specific mortality rates at the time of birth stay the same throughout the infant's
life.

Mean years of schooling: Average number of years of education received by people ages 25 and
older, converted from education attainment levels using official durations of each level.
Expected years of schooling: Number of years of schooling that a child of school entrance age can
expect to receive if prevailing patterns of age-specific enrolment rates persist throughout the
child's life.

Gross national income (GNI) per capita: Aggregate income of an economy generated by its
production and its ownership of factors of production, less the incomes paid for the use of factors
of production owned by the rest of the world, converted to international dollars using purchasing
power parity (PPP) rates, divided by midyear population.

GNI per capita rank minus HDI rank: Difference in rankings by GNI per capita and by the HDI. A
negative value means that the country is better ranked by GNI than by the HDI.

Non-income HDI: Value of the HDI computed from the life expectancy and education indicators
only.