developing country

American  

noun

1. a country having a standard of living or level of industrial production well below that possible with financial or technical aid; a country that is not yet highly industrialized.

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developing country British  

noun

1. a nonindustrialized poor country that is seeking to develop its resources by industrialization

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Etymology

Origin of developing country

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

"They present themselves as a developing country when they're the second biggest economy in the world and in many ways rich," he said.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Here, Washington is targeting China, which despite its economic heft is classified as a developing country at the WTO.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The Seattle-based waste service is geared toward people who worry their waste will end up in the landfill, or get exported to a developing country in Asia.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

In every developing country in which I have worked, fear lived just under the collective skin of the people.

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2025

In the last decade, Russia has been transformed from an industrial and military power into a developing country with an overwhelming dependence on a single category of commodities: energy products.

From Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Vaknin, Samuel