Second World Countries 2022 (2024)

What is a "second world" country? That depends upon when in history the label is being applied. The term was first used following World War II, when countries were categorized as First World, Second World, or Third World countries by French demographer Alfred Sauvy in 1952 (though there is debate as to whether he invented the term or adopted it from another source). First World countries were the democratic, capitalist countries allied with the United States and NATO. Second World countries were the communist, socialist countries of the Eastern bloc, led primarily by the Soviet Union and China. Third World countries were those neutral countries not aligned with either power. These definitions lasted throughout the Cold War (approx. 1947-1991)—but once the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, the term "second world" took on a new meaning.

Second World Countries 1947-1991

Afghanistan Cuba Laos Romania
Albania Czechoslovakia Mongolia Somalia
Angola East Germany Mozambique South Yemen
Benin Ethiopia Nicaragua Soviet Union
Bulgaria Grenada North Korea Vietnam
China Hungary Poland Yugoslavia (1945-1948 only)
Congo (People's Rep.) Kampuchea (Cambodia)

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the “three worlds” terminology took on new meanings. Today, “First World” countries are now considered to be developed countries. “Second World” countries is the term used to describe former communist countries that aren’t quite in poverty but aren’t prosperous either. “Third World” countries and even Fourth World countries are considered to be the developing and least developed countries of the world. Therefore, a term that was originally used to describe political ideologies is now used to define economic states.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is one of the world's most accurate and respected measures of economic development. The HDI tracks dozens of indicators such as life expectancy, education, and per capita income, then aggregates them all into a single value between 0 (lowest) and 1 (highest). Each country is then categorized into one of four levels of human development based upon their HDI score:

  • Low human development (0-.55)
  • Medium human development (.55-.70)
  • High human development (.70-80)
  • Very high human development (.80-1.0)

The Second World countries from the Cold War era currently range from medium human development to very high human development in terms of HDI. For example, Slovenia has an HDI of .896, categorizing it as very high human development. In historical terms, Slovenia is a Second World country; however, it is considered a “First World country” under the modern definition. Kyrgyzstan has an HDI of .672, putting the country in the medium human development tier. This makes Kyrgyzstan a “Second World country” by historical definition and by modern definition.

When categorizing countries as First World, Second World, Third World, or Fourth World, it is important to distinguish between the historical and modern definitions of the term.

Second World Countries 2022

Second World Countries 2022

Sources

Second World Countries 2022 (2024)

FAQs

What are the current 2nd world countries? ›

Understanding Second World

By the first definition, some examples of second world countries include: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and China, among others.

What are 1st 2nd and 3rd world countries? ›

The First World consisted of the U.S., Western Europe and their allies. The Second World was the so-called Communist Bloc: the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and friends. The remaining nations, which aligned with neither group, were assigned to the Third World.

What does 2nd world country mean? ›

Second World countries are countries that are more stable and more developed than Third World countries which exist in parts of Africa, South and Central America and south Asia, but less stable and less developed than First World countries such as Norway, the United States, or France.

What are 2 third world countries? ›

Here are the 10 countries with the lowest human development indexes:
  • Tuvalu - 0.
  • Somalia - 0.
  • Niger - 0.354.
  • Central African Republic - 0.367.
  • South Sudan - 0.388.
  • Chad - 0.404.
  • Burundi - 0.417.
  • Sierra Leone - 0.419.

Is Japan a 1st world country? ›

Examples of first world countries include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Several Western European nations qualify as well, especially Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries.

Is Turkey a 3rd world country? ›

The World Bank classifies Turkey as an upper-middle income country in terms of the country's per capita GDP. The CIA World Factbook adds Turkey to its list of developed countries (DCs) due to the country's status as a founding member of the OECD.

Is Russia a Third World country? ›

Second world countries refer to the countries that lean more toward a socialist society, and generally were allied with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These countries include Russia, Poland, China and some Turk states.

Is Ukraine a 3rd world country? ›

Sometimes people wonder if Ukraine is a third world country. No, it isn't. It was a “second world” country, but now it fits into the category of developing nations.

Is China a Second World country? ›

First World countries were the democratic, capitalist countries allied with the United States and NATO. Second World countries were the communist, socialist countries of the Eastern bloc, led primarily by the Soviet Union and China. Third World countries were those neutral countries not aligned with either power.

Is Ukraine a 2nd world country? ›

Communist Yugoslavia was the only eastern European country which was not aligned with the Soviet Union.
...
___ Countries of the Second World.
Second World Country List
Countryformerly part of:Region
UkraineSoviet UnionEastern Europe
UzbekistanSoviet UnionSouth-Central Asia
Commonwealth of Independent States
39 more rows

What are 4th world countries? ›

The Fourth World is an outdated term used to describe the most underdeveloped, poverty-stricken, and marginalized regions of the world. Many inhabitants of these nations do not have any political ties and are often hunter-gatherers that live in nomadic communities, or are part of tribes.

Is China Third World? ›

Third World vs.

For example, in the Western theory, China and India belong respectively to the second and third worlds, but in Mao's theory both China and India are part of the Third World which he defined as consisting of exploited nations.

What are 3nd world 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 Australia/Oceania.

Is Russia a first world country? ›

Both China and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), for example, may have been part of the Second World in the past, but are now considered part of the Third World.

What is the difference between 2nd world and 3rd world countries? ›

The Second World consisted of the communist Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites. The Third World, meanwhile, encompassed all the other countries that were not actively aligned with either side in the Cold War.

Is Qatar a 3rd world country? ›

It is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.

Is Dubai a 3rd world country? ›

Now to answer your question technically yes the UAE is a developing (but not third world) country and that's mostly because first world countries are usually a part of NATO (or have been a part of NATO) and also because it sadly tends to rank at the bottom in terms of human rights.

Is Korea a first world country? ›

This definition includes Australia & New Zealand, the developed countries of Asia (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan), and the wealthy countries of North America and Europe, particularly Western Europe.

Is Turkey in NATO? ›

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Turkey made the historic choice of siding with the free world and the Western Bloc. This policy was led Turkey to become member of NATO on 18 February 1952. Since then, NATO has been the cornerstone of Turkey's defense and security policy.

Is Saudi Arabia a 3rd world country? ›

With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.875, Saudi Arabia counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition. Considering the purchasing power parity, Saudi Arabia is among the 30 richest countries in the world and, with an average annual income of 22,270 USD is one of the high-income countries.

Is Pakistan a 3rd world country? ›

Pakistan is relatively more developed in the demographic, cultural, and health-nutrition indices but is less developed in housing, education, and political areas. As a whole, on the composite social scale, Pakistan occupies 84th position in the 3rd world.

What is the 1st world country? ›

The modern definition of “first world” is used to classify countries that are highly industrialized and with advanced economies. First-world countries include the United States, Canada, Japan, and Western European countries.

Is Ukraine poor? ›

According to its results, by the end of 2020, 45% of the population of Ukraine fell into the poor category. The study claimed that this was 6.5 percentage points higher than in 2019. A pre-COVID-19 study forecast the poverty rate in 2020 to be 31.2%.

Is Egypt a 3rd world country? ›

What is an example of a Third World country? Under the Cold War definition of a third world country, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Egypt were third world countries. Modern developing countries include Somalia, Honduras, and Nepal.

Is Italy a Second World country? ›

Italy is seen by many as a kind of third world country, or little better. When you talk about Italy, many compare (in the sense of: putting it on the same level) with Greece, while Italy should actually be compared with Germany, since Italy is the third largest economy in the eurozone.

Is Italy a first world country? ›

Under the original, 1950s Cold War-era definition of the term, any list of First World countries would have included NATO members the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, and West Germany.

What is a 7th world country? ›

G7 is a term that is used to describe the "Group of Seven", a coalition of seven countries that have the largest and most advanced economies in the world: the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada, along with the European Union.

What are 5th world countries? ›

  • Rwanda.
  • São Tomé and Príncipe.
  • Senegal.
  • Sierra Leone.
  • Somalia.
  • South Sudan.
  • Sudan.
  • Tanzania.

What are 6th world countries? ›

Among micronationalists the term Sixth World applies to serious nations without strong and established national identities (usually younger than 4 years old, very likely to fail).

What are non 3rd world countries called? ›

The term First World refers to the developed, capitalist, industrial countries, generally aligned with NATO and the USA.

Why do they call it 3rd world countries? ›

Tomlinson wrote in the essay "What Was the Third World," published in 2003 in the Journal of Contemporary History. Because many countries in the Third World were impoverished, the term came to be used to refer to countries where poverty is rampant, where health care is inadequate, and where democracy does not flourish.

Is Dubai a First World country? ›

The UAE is a country which exist since 1971 and never support either side of the conflict. It was never the First world country and neither was it ever part of them. The UAE is a developing country though and gains more and more influence in the World Economy.

What do we call 3rd World countries now? ›

It's what The Associated Press Stylebook suggests using: According to the AP: "Developing nations is more appropriate [than Third World] when referring to economically developing nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Do not confuse with 'nonaligned,' which is a political term" — and mostly a historical term now.

What are 4th World countries? ›

The Fourth World is an outdated term used to describe the most underdeveloped, poverty-stricken, and marginalized regions of the world. Many inhabitants of these nations do not have any political ties and are often hunter-gatherers that live in nomadic communities, or are part of tribes.

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