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 that country 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., which divided the planet into the rich north and the poor south was used. 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:
- low income countries (LIC) - these are countries with a A measure of the total income of a country, divided by the number of people in that country. of $1,045 or less, eg Chad and Ethiopia
- medium income countries (MIC) - these are countries with a GNI per capita of more than $1,045 but less than $12,695, eg Mexico and Iraq
- high income countries (HIC) - these are countries with a GNI per capita above US$ 12,696, eg Germany and the USA