Classification of developing countries

In attempting to classify the countries, some analysts, using the U.N classification system, prefer to distinguish among three major groups within the third world: the 44 poorer countries designated by the united nation as “least developed”, the 88 non oil exporting, “developing nation”, and the thirteen petroleum rich members of the organization of petroleum exporting countries (OPEC), whose national incomes increased dramatically during the 1970s. Other follows the classification system established by the international bank for reconstruction and development (IBRD), more commonly known as the WORLD BANK. it divides 132 countries (both developing and developed countries) with population in excess to 1 million into four categories according to the per capita income levels: low income, middle income, upper middle income, and high income economies. United nation development program focuses on aspects of “human development” that go beyond income to include such noneconomic variables as life expectancy at birth and educational attainment along with real per capita income. It then construct a Human Development Index (HDI) in which all countries are ranked into three human development aggregates- high, medium and low.