Classifying parts of the world
The level of The process of a country becoming richer or having better healthcare and education. of a country shows how economically, socially, culturally or technologically advanced it is. The way in which countries are classified is changing.
The Brandt line
In the past, the A line that separates countries in the rich north of the world from those in the poorer south. divided the planet into the rich north and the poor south. However the world has changed a lot in the last 20 years and the Brandt line is now too simplistic. For example, China and India are no longer seen as poor countries.
The World Bank classification
A country's level of development is now classified in a different way. The World Bank uses the names:
- Based on the World Bank's income classifications, a LIC has a gross national income (GNI per capita) of $1,045 or lower. - these are countries with a A measure of the total income of a country, divided by the number of people in that country. of US$ 1,045 or less, eg Chad and Ethiopia
- A country (as classified by the World Bank) having a gross national income per capita of US$1,046 to $12,475, eg Mexico and Iraq. - these are countries with a GNI per capita of more than US$ 1,045 but less than US$ 12,695 eg Mexico and Iraq
- A country with a gross national income per capita above US $12,735 (according to the World Bank) such as the Netherlands and the UK. - these are countries with a GNI per capita above US$ 12,696 eg Germany and the USA