Developed Countries Developing CountriesHDI ClassificationIMF ClassificationWorld Bank Classification

Least Developing CountriesFour Worlds 8 Key Economic Indicators

Gender Equality Gender EqualityGender InequalityGender EquityStatus of Women in PakistanEnsuring Gender Equality

Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, defined a developed country as "one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment.

A developed country, industrialized country, or "more economically developed country" (MEDC), is a sovereign state that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations.

Most commonly, the criteria for evaluating the degree of economic development are gross domestic product (GDP), gross national product (GNP), the per capita income, level of industrialization, amount of widespread infrastructure and general standard of living.

Developed countries have post-industrial economies, meaning the service sector provides more wealth than the industrial sector. They are contrasted with developing countries, which are in the process of industrialization, or undeveloped countries, which are pre-industrial and almost entirely agrarian.

As of 2015, advanced economies comprise 60.8% of global GDP based on nominal values and 42.9% of global GDP based on purchasing-power parity (PPP) according to the International Monetary Fund.

In 2015, the ten largest advanced economies by GDP in both nominal and PPP terms were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

More recently another measure, the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines an economic measure, national income, with other measures, indices for life expectancy and education has become prominent. This criterion would define developed countries as those with a very high (HDI) rating.

A developing country, also called a less developed country is a nation with a less developed industrial base, and a low Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries.

Developing countries are, in general, countries that have not achieved a significant degree of industrialization relative to their populations, and have, in most cases, a medium to low standard of living. There is a strong association between low income and high population growth.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) uses a flexible classification system that considers “

1) per capita income level, 2) export diversification—so oil exporters that have high per capita

GDP would not make the advanced classification because around 70% of its exports are oil, and

3) degree of integration into the global financial system."

According to the classification from International Monetary Fund (IMF) before April 2004, all countries of Central and Eastern Europe (including Central European countries that still belongs to the "Eastern Europe Group" in the UN institutions) as well as the former Soviet Union (USSR) countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) and Mongolia, were not included under either developed or developing regions, but rather were referred to as "countries in transition"; however they are now widely regarded (in the international reports) as "developing countries".

The World Bank classifies countries into four income groups. These are set each year on July 1. Economies were divided according to 2011 GNI per capita using the following ranges of income:

1) Low income countries had GNI per capita of US$1,026 or less.2) Lower middle income countries had GNI per capita between

US$1,026 and US$4,036.3) Upper middle income countries had GNI per capita between

US$4,036 and US$12,476.4) High income countries had GNI per capita above US$12,476.

The World Bank classifies all low- and middle-income countries asdeveloping but notes, "The use of the term is convenient; it is notintended to imply that all economies in the group are experiencingsimilar development or that other economies have reached a preferredor final stage of development. Classification by income does notnecessarily reflect development status."

A least developed country (LDC) is a country that, according to the United Nations, exhibits the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world.

A country is classified as a Least Developed Country if it meets three criteria:1) Poverty – adjustable criterion based on GNI per capita averaged over

three years. As of 2015 a country must have GNI per capita less than US $1,035 to be included on the list, and over $1,242 to graduate from it.

2) Human resource weakness (based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy) and

3) Economic vulnerability (based on instability of agricultural production, instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non-traditional activities, merchandise export concentration, handicap of economic smallness, and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters)

LDC criteria are reviewed every three years by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Countries may "graduate" out of the LDC classification when indicators exceed these criteria.

After World War II the world split into two large geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence with contrary views on government and the politically correct society:

The bloc of democratic-industrial countries within the American influence sphere, the "First World". A country characterized by political stability, democracy, rule of law, a capitalist economy, economic stability and a high standard of living. Various definitions have been used for First World nations, including GDP, GNP and literacy rates. The Human Development Index is also a good indicator in determining First World countries. First World countries are North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia.

The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, the "Second World". A country that was once controlled by the Soviet Union. Second World countries were centrally planned economies, and also one party states. The use of the term to refer to Soviet countries largely fell out of use in the early 1990s, shortly after the end of the Cold War. A country that is more stable and more developed than a third-world country but less-stable and less-developed than a first-world country.

Second world countries are Russia, Eastern Europe (e.g., Poland) and some of the Turk States (e.g., Kazakhstan) as well as China.

The remaining three-quarters of the world's population, states not aligned with either bloc were regarded as the "Third World."A Third World country is a country whose views are not aligned with NATO and capitalism or the Soviet Union and communism. The use of the term Third World started during the Cold War and was used to identify which of three categories the countries of the world aligned with.

Third world countries are Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Belarus, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Zimbabwe.

The Fourth World is used to describe the most poverty stricken, and economically troubled parts of countries in the Third World. Unlike the First, Second and Third World, the Fourth World does not have any political ties and is often based on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. This area includes tribal and nomadic communities. They may be fully functional and self surviving units, but based on their economical performance as a whole they are placed under the Fourth World status.

Fourth world countries are Ethiopia, Niger Sudan, Uganda, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Haiti and a lot others.

1) Economic Growth2) Retail Spending3) Equipment Investment4) Unemployment5) Construction Work Done6) Population Growth 7) Housing Finance8) Dwelling Commencements

GENDER EQUALITY

Refers to the economic, social, political, and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female.

The social definitions of what it means to be a woman or a man vary among cultures and change over time.

Gender Equalityrequires equal enjoyment by women and men of socially-valued

goods, opportunities, resources and rewards.

When there is gender inequality, women are more likely to be disadvantaged and marginalized.

But Gender Inequality also requires men to provide materially for their family.

Gender Inequalityrefers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on

their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles.

Gender Equityis the process of allocating resources, programs, and decision making fairly to both males and females without any discrimination on the basis of gender. and addressing any imbalances in the benefits available to males and females.

Gender equity implies fairness in the way women and men are treated. The different life experiences and needs of men and women are taken into consideration and compensation is made for women's historical and social disadvantages.

Gender equity requires that girls and women be provided with a full range of activity and program choices that meet their needs, interests and experiences.

Women hold only 17% of the world’s parliament seatsOnly 12/180 heads of states are womenMerely 9% of top management jobs held by womenPakistan ranked 132/134 countries (2009) on gender equalityPakistani women bear 70% of poverty burden

LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATIONFemales 34%Males 86%

INCOME (PPP US$)Females 977Males 3402

LEGISLATORS, SENIOR OFFICIALS, MANAGERSFemales 2%Males 98%

PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL WORKERSFemales 26%Males 74%

LITERACY RATEFemales 36%Males 63%

ENROLMENT IN PRIMARY EDUCATIONFemales 59%Males 77%

ENROLMENT IN SECONDARY EDUCATIONFEMALES 18%MALES 24%

SEX RATIO AT BIRTH Females 49%Males 51%

WOMEN IN MINISTERIAL POSITIONSFemales 6%Males 94%

Gender IntegrationRefers to strategies applied in program assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation to take gender norms into account and to compensate for gender-based inequalities.

Women’s EmpowermentImproving the status of women to enhance their decision-making capacity at all levels, especially as it relates to their sexuality and reproductive health.

Ministry of Women Development

National Commission on Status of Women

Gender Reform Action Plans (GRAPS)

Constitution of Pakistan

Ten Year Perspective Plan 2000-11

National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women

National Plan of Action

Affirmative Actions through reservation of seats and quotas