Less Developed Country (LDC)

Developing Country: A nation that has a lower living standard, underdeveloped industrial base, and low Human Development Index relative to other countries.

Third World Countries: This term was originally used during the Cold War to define countries that were neither aligned with NATO/Capitalist bloc nor Communist bloc. Today it is often used (although considered outdated) to refer to poor developing countries.

Human Development Index (HDI): A statistical tool used by the United Nations to measure a country's overall achievement in its social and economic dimensions. The social and economic dimensions of a country are based on the health of people, their level of education attainment and their standard of living.