Developed country - wikipedia Developed country This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 7 June 2018. `` Industrial nation '' redirects here. For the magazine, see Industrialisation. For the investing classification, see Developed market. World map indicating the categories of Human Development Index by country ( based on 2015 and 2016 data, published on 21 March 2017 ) Very high High Medium Low Data unavailable A developed country, industrialized country, more developed 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. Which criteria are to be used and which countries can be classified as being developed are subjects of debate. 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 pre-industrial and almost entirely agrarian, some of which might fall into the category of least developed countries. 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. Contents 1 Similar terms 2 Definition and criteria 3 Human Development Index ( HDI ) 4 Complete list of countries 4.1 Very high human development 5 Other lists of developed countries 5.1 World Bank high - income economies 5.1. 1 High income UN members 5.1. 2 High income non-UN members 5.2 IMF advanced economies 5.3 High - income OECD members 5.3. 1 Development Assistance Committee members 5.4 Paris Club members 6 Disposable Income per capita ( OECD ) 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links Similar terms See also : North -- South divide Terms similar to developed country include `` advanced country '', `` industrialized country '', `` ' more developed country '' ( MDC ), `` more economically developed country '' ( MEDC ), `` Global North country '', `` first world country '', and `` post-industrial country ''. The term industrialized country may be somewhat ambiguous, as industrialization is an ongoing process that is hard to define. The first industrialized country was the United Kingdom, followed by Belgium. Later it spread further to Germany, United States, France and other Western European countries. According to some economists such as Jeffrey Sachs, however, the current divide between the developed and developing world is largely a phenomenon of the 20th century. Definition and criteria Economic criteria have tended to dominate discussions. One such criterion is income per capita ; countries with high gross domestic product ( GDP ) per capita would thus be described as developed countries. Another economic criterion is industrialization ; countries in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors of industry dominate would thus be described as developed. 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. According to the United Nations Statistics Division : There is no established convention for the designation of `` developed '' and `` developing '' countries or areas in the United Nations system. And it notes that : The designations `` developed '' and `` developing '' are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. Human development Index ( HDI ) Main articles : Human Development Index and List of countries by Human Development Index The UN HDI is a statistical measure that gauges a country 's level of human development. While there is a strong correlation between having a high HDI score and a prosperous economy, the UN points out that the HDI accounts for more than income or productivity. Unlike GDP per capita or per capita income, the HDI takes into account how income is turned `` into education and health opportunities and therefore into higher levels of human development. '' Since 1990, Norway ( 2001 -- 2006, 2009 -- 2013 ), Japan ( 1990 -- 1991 and 1993 ), Canada ( 1992 and 1994 -- 2000 ) and Iceland ( 2007 -- 2008 ) have had the highest HDI score. The top 47 countries have scores ranging from 0.793 in Barbados to 0.955 in Norway. Many countries listed by IMF or CIA as `` advanced '' ( as of 2009 ), possess an HDI over 0.788 ( as of 2010 ). Many countries possessing an HDI of 0.788 and over ( as of 2010 ) are also listed by IMF or CIA as `` advanced '' ( as of 2009 ). Thus, many `` advanced economies '' ( as of 2009 ) are characterized by an HDI score of 0.9 or higher ( as of 2007 ). Since April 2016, the IMF classifies Macau as an advanced economy. The latest report was launched on 21 March 2017. Complete list of countries = increase. = steady. = decrease. Very high human development Rank Country HDI 2016 estimates for 2015 Change in rank from previous year 2016 estimates for 2015 Change from previous year Norway 0.949 0.001 ( 1 ) Australia 0.939 0.002 Switzerland 0.939 0.001 Germany 0.926 0.002 5 ( 1 ) Denmark 0.925 0.002 5 ( 1 ) Singapore 0.925 0.001 7 ( 1 ) Netherlands 0.924 0.001 8 Ireland 0.923 0.003 9 Iceland 0.921 0.002 10 ( 1 ) Canada 0.920 0.001 10 ( 1 ) United States 0.920 0.002 12 Hong Kong 0.917 0.001 13 New Zealand 0.915 0.002 14 ( 1 ) Sweden 0.913 0.004 15 ( 1 ) Liechtenstein 0.912 0.001 16 United Kingdom 0.909 0.001 17 Japan 0.903 0.001 18 South Korea 0.901 0.002 19 Israel 0.899 0.001 20 Luxembourg 0.898 0.002 21 ( 1 ) France 0.897 0.003 22 ( 1 ) Belgium 0.896 0.001 23 Finland 0.895 0.002 24 Austria 0.893 0.001 25 Slovenia 0.890 0.002 Rank Country HDI 2016 estimates for 2015 Change in rank from previous year 2016 estimates for 2015 Change from previous year 26 ( 1 ) Italy 0.887 0.006 27 ( 1 ) Spain 0.884 0.002 28 Czech Republic 0.878 0.003 29 Greece 0.866 0.001 30 Brunei 0.865 0.001 30 ( 1 ) Estonia 0.865 0.002 32 Andorra 0.858 0.001 33 ( 1 ) Cyprus 0.856 0.002 33 ( 2 ) Malta 0.856 0.003 33 Qatar 0.856 0.001 36 Poland 0.855 0.003 37 Lithuania 0.848 0.002 38 Chile 0.847 0.002 38 Saudi Arabia 0.847 0.002 40 Slovakia 0.845 0.003 41 Portugal 0.843 0.002 42 United Arab Emirates 0.840 0.004 43 Hungary 0.836 0.002 44 Latvia 0.830 0.002 45 Argentina 0.827 0.001 45 ( 1 ) Croatia 0.827 0.004 47 ( 1 ) Bahrain 0.824 0.001 48 ( 1 ) Montenegro 0.807 0.003 49 ( 1 ) Russia 0.804 0.001 50 ( 1 ) Romania 0.802 0.004 51 ( 1 ) Kuwait 0.800 0.001 As a non-UN member, the government of Taiwan calculates its own HDI, which had a value of 0.882 in 2011. Additionally, while the HDI for the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong is calculated by the UN, it is not for Macau. The Macanese government calculated the territory 's HDI to be 0.868 in 2011. These values place both Taiwan and Macau well within the list of countries with `` Very high human development ''. Furthermore, in 2009 a United Nations project calculated the HDI for all of its members, as well as Taiwan, Macau, and many dependent territories. The HDI values for the countries of San Marino and Monaco, which have not been included in official annual HDI reports, were found to be at 0.961 and 0.956 respectively. This places both countries firmly within the category of countries with `` Very high human development '' as well. The dependent territories with HDI values equivalent to `` Very high human development '' were : Jersey, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Norfolk Island, Faroe Islands, Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Greenland, and Guam. Of note, the HDI values in the 2009 report were calculated using the old HDI formula, while HDI values after the year 2010 are calculated with a different formula. Other lists of developed countries Some institutions have produced lists of developed countries : the UN ( list shown above ), the CIA, and some providers of stock market indices ( the FTSE Group, MSCI, S&P, Dow Jones, STOXX, etc. ). The latter is not included here because its association of developed countries with countries with both high incomes and developed markets is not deemed as directly relevant. However many other institutions have created more general lists referred to when discussing developed countries. For example, the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) identifies 39 `` advanced economies ''. The OECD 's 35 members are known as the `` developed countries club '' The World Bank identifies 78 `` high income countries ''. World Bank high - income economies Main article : World Bank high - income economy World Bank high - income economies in 2016 According to the World Bank the following 78 countries ( including territories ) are classified as `` high - income economies ''. As of 2018, High - income economies are those that had a GNI per capita of $12,236 or more - in 2016. High income UN members Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Australia Austria The Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belgium Brunei Canada Chile Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan South Korea Kuwait Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Oman Palau Poland Portugal Qatar Saint Kitts and Nevis San Marino Saudi Arabia Seychelles Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Trinidad and Tobago United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay High income non-UN members Aruba Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Channel Islands Curaçao Faroe Islands French Polynesia Gibraltar Greenland Guam Hong Kong Isle of Man Macau New Caledonia Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Saint Martin Sint Maarten Taiwan Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Between 1994 and 2009, as part of the Netherlands Antilles. IMF advanced economies Countries described as Advanced Economies by the IMF According to the International Monetary Fund, the following 39 economies are classified as `` advanced economies '' : Australia Austria Belgium Canada Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Malta Netherlands New Zealand Norway Portugal Puerto Rico San Marino Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan United Kingdom United States The CIA has modified an older version of the IMF 's list of Advanced Economies, noting that the IMF 's Advanced Economies list `` would presumably also cover '' some smaller countries. These include : See also : The World Factbook list of developed countries Andorra Bermuda Faroe Islands Guernsey Holy See Jersey Liechtenstein Monaco High - income OECD members There are 33 members in the High - income OECD category, as determined by the World Bank. The High - income OECD membership is as follows : 25 countries in Europe : Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom 3 countries in Asia : Israel Japan South Korea 2 countries in North America : Canada United States 2 countries in Oceania : Australia New Zealand 1 country in South America : Chile Development Assistance Committee members Member nations of the Development Assistance Committee There are 29 OECD member countries and the European Union -- in the Development Assistance Committee ( DAC ), a group of the world 's major donor countries that discuss issues surrounding development aid and poverty reduction in developing countries. The following OECD member countries are DAC members : 23 countries wholly or partly in Europe : Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom 2 countries in Asia : Japan South Korea 2 countries in North America : Canada United States 2 countries in Oceania : Australia New Zealand Paris Club members Permanent members of the Paris Club There are 22 permanent members in the Paris Club ( French : Club de Paris ), a group of officials from major creditor countries whose role is to find coordinated and sustainable solutions to the payment difficulties experienced by debtor countries. 15 countries wholly or partly in Europe : Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom 3 countries in Asia : Israel Japan South Korea 2 countries in North America : Canada United States 1 country in Oceania : Australia 1 country in South America : Brazil Disposable income per capita ( OECD ) The list below represents a national accounts derived indicator based on adjusted gross income, which is defined as `` the balance of primary incomes of an institutional unit or sector by adding all current transfers, except social transfers in kind, receivable by that unit or sector and subtracting all current transfers, except social transfers in kind, payable by that unit or sector ; it is the balancing item in the Secondary Distribution of Income Account '' `` plus transfers in kind '' received mainly from government, such as healthcare and education. It is based on the national accounts, which follows a standardized accounting ( System of National Accounts ) so to allow for comparability. It is also not survey based, which avoids survey errors and underreporting. The following is published by the OECD and is presented in PPPs so to adjust for costs of living. Rank Country / Territory 2015 Per Capita ( PPP $ ) United States 46,509 Switzerland 38,372 Norway 37,566 Australia 36,473 5 Germany 36,175 6 Austria 34,278 7 France 32,694 8 Belgium 31,968 9 Sweden 31,266 10 Finland 31,168 11 Canada 31,086 12 Denmark 30,475 13 Netherlands 30,442 14 Japan 30,376 15 United Kingdom 30,072 16 Italy 27,900 17 Ireland 26,593 18 Spain 24,381 19 Czech Republic 22,144 20 Portugal 22,092 21 Slovenia 22,091 22 South Korea 21,723 23 Slovakia 21,339 24 Estonia 19,442 25 Poland 19,363 26 Greece 18,644 27 Hungary 17,647 28 Turkey 16,870 29 Latvia 16,644 30 Mexico 14,502 See also Digital divide First World privilege First World problem Fourth World Globalization Multinational corporation Second World Third World List of countries by wealth per adult Notes Jump up ^ The official classification of `` advanced economies '' is originally made by the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ). The IMF list does n't deal with non-IMF members. The Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) intends to follow IMF list but adds few economies which are n't dealt with by IMF due to their not being IMF members. By May 2001, the advanced country list of the CIA Archived 2008 - 04 - 09 at the Wayback Machine. was more comprehensive than the original IMF list. However, since May 2001, three additional countries ( Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia ) have been added to the original IMF list, thus leaving the CIA list not updated. Jump up ^ Namely sovereign states, i.e., excluding Macau : In 2003, the government of Macau calculated its HDI as being 0.909 ( the UN does not calculate Macau 's HDI ) ; In January 2007, the People 's Daily Archived 2008 - 12 - 07 at the Wayback Machine. reported ( from China Modernization Report 2007 ) : `` In 2004... Macau... had reached the level of developed countries ''. The UNCTAD Archived 2007 - 07 - 10 at the Wayback Machine. organisation ( of the UN ), as well as the CIA Archived 2008 - 04 - 09 at the Wayback Machine., classify Macau as a `` developing '' territory. The World Bank classifies Macau as a high income economy ( along with developed economies as well as with few developing economies ). Jump up ^ The Developed Countries Glossary Archived 2014 - 12 - 20 at the Wayback Machine. entry reads : `` The following countries are classified by FTSE as developed countries : Australia, Austria, Belgium / Luxembourg, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong ( People 's Republic of China ), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. '' References Jump up ^ Developed Economy Definition Archived 2016 - 03 - 22 at the Wayback Machine... Investopedia ( 2010 - 04 - 16 ). Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ IMF GDP data ( October 2015 ) Archived 2016 - 03 - 04 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Gross domestic product, current prices & Gross domestic product based on purchasing - power - parity ( PPP ) valuation of country GDP ''. World Economic Outlook Database, October 2015. International Monetary Fund. October 2015. Archived from the original on 2015 - 10 - 11. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ Sachs, Jeffrey ( 2005 ). The End of Poverty. New York, New York : The Penguin Press. ISBN 1 - 59420 - 045 - 9. Jump up ^ `` Millennium Development Indicators : World and regional groupings ''. United Nations Statistics Division. 2003. Note b. Archived from the original on 10 February 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications ( M49 ) : Developed Regions ''. United Nations Statistics Division. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017. ^ Jump up to : IMF Advanced Economies List. World Economic Outlook, April 2016, p. 148 Archived 2016 - 04 - 21 at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : `` Human Development Report 2016 -- ' Human Development for Everyone ' '' ( PDF ). HDRO ( Human Development Report Office ) United Nations Development Programme. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` 2011 中華 民國 人類 發展 指數 ( HDI ) '' ( PDF ) ( in Chinese ). Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. 2011. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 2011 - 12 - 26. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ Macau in Figures, 2013 Archived 2013 - 10 - 24 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Filling Gaps in the Human Development Index Archived 2016 - 03 - 05 at the Wayback Machine., United Nations ESCAP, February 2009 ^ Jump up to : CIA ( 2008 ). `` Appendix B. International Organizations and Groups ''. World Factbook. Archived from the original on 2008 - 04 - 09. Retrieved 2008 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ World Economic Outlook Archived 2016 - 04 - 21 at the Wayback Machine., International Monetary Fund, September 2011, p. 165. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2009 - 02 - 21. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ Indiana Express Archived 2010 - 01 - 27 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Minutes of Forum # 26 : Global Strategy Series 2 - Japan as It Should Be ( Outline ) Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan Archived 2007 - 10 - 30 at the Wayback Machine... Esri.go.jp. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 12. ^ Jump up to : Country and Lending Groups. World Bank. Accessed on July 1, 2017. Jump up ^ Country and Lending Groups Data Archived 2011 - 03 - 18 at the Wayback Machine... Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Members and partners ''. OECD. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016. Jump up ^ Peer reviews of DAC members - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Archived 2013 - 05 - 27 at the Wayback Machine... Oecd.org. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 22. Jump up ^ DAC website > > `` The DAC in Dates '' Archived 2010 - 02 - 15 at the Wayback Machine., On the DAC 's self - description, see the introductory letter. On other events, refer to the relevant section by date. Jump up ^ OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms - Disposable income Definition Jump up ^ OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms - Adjusted disposable income Definition Jump up ^ ( 1 ) External links IMF ( advanced economies ) The Economist ( quality of life survey ) The World Factbook ( developed countries ) United Nations Statistics Division ( definition ) List of countries, United Nations Statistics Division ( developed regions ) World Bank ( high - income economies ) Economic classification of countries Developed country Developing country Least Developed Countries World Bank high - income economy Newly industrialized country Heavily indebted poor countries Three - World Model First World Second World Third World Fourth World Gross domestic product ( GDP ) Nominal By country past and projected per capita per capita Purchasing power parity ( PPP ) By country future estimates per capita per capita per hour worked per person employed Gross national income ( GNI ) ( Nominal, Atlas method ) per capita ( PPP ) per capita Wages Average wage Europe by monthly average wage Employee compensation ( per hour ) List of countries by median wage Minimum wages Canada Europe United States Wealth Wealth per adult Other national accounts Gross National Happiness Net material product Research and development spending Human development Human Development Index by country inequality - adjusted Human Poverty Index Percentage living in poverty Social Progress Index Digital divide ICT Development Index Number of broadband Internet subscriptions Number of Internet users Smartphone penetration Net international investment position ( NIIP ) Per capita Lists of countries by GDP rankings Purchasing power parity ( PPP ) Per capita Past per capita Past and projected per capita Private consumption per capita Per hour Per person employed Ten largest historically 19th century Nominal Per capita Past and projected per capita Sector composition Growth rate African countries Asian states European Union member states European countries Latin American and Caribbean countries Oceanian countries Per capita 1980 -- 2010 growth Industrial growth Gross national income ( GNI ) PPP Nominal Countries by region Africa PPP nominal Commonwealth of Nations nominal Latin America & Caribbean PPP nominal North America PPP nominal nominal per capita South America PPP Arab League nominal and per capita PPP and per capita ASEAN Asia Asia & Pacific PPP Former Soviet Republics Europe PPP PPP per capita nominal nominal per capita Oceania PPP PPP per capita nominal nominal per capita Subnational divisions Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Chile per capita China per capita Colombia Croatia France Germany nominal nominal per capita Greece India per capita Indonesia Italy Japan Malaysia Mexico Pakistan Poland ( per capita ) Russia per capita South Africa South Korea Spain United States PPP nominal nominal per capita Thailand OECD Top country subdivisions by GDP nominal Lists of countries by financial rankings List of international rankings List of top international rankings by country Lists by country Lists of countries by quality of life rankings General Life expectancy in Europe World Happiness Report Happy Planet Index Human Development Index by country inequality - adjusted Legatum Prosperity Index Good Country Index Satisfaction with Life Index Where - to - be-born Index Economic Net take - home pay Job security Long - term unemployment rate Home ownership rate Smartphone ownership rate Environment Environmental Performance Index Environmental Vulnerability Index Natural disaster risk Health Cancer rate Health care quality Health expenditure covered by government Hospital beds Risk of death from non-communicable disease Teenage pregnancy rate Social / Political Government transparency Global Slavery Index Global Terrorism Index Global Competitiveness Index Social Progress Index Time devoted to leisure and personal care Women 's average years in school List of international rankings List of top international rankings by country Lists by country Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Developed_country&oldid=844825624 '' Categories : Economic country classifications Human geography Economic geography International development Lists of countries Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Chinese - language sources ( zh ) Wikipedia pending changes protected pages Use dmy dates from July 2013 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2015 Articles containing French - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ Қазақша Lietuvių Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 53 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 June 2018, at 12 : 24. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: the most economically developed country in the world
Answer: Norway