developing country

American  

noun

• developing countries
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• developing countries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of developing country

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

developing country

The World Bank, which doesn’t use developed or developing country labels, has said it will phase out loans to China by 2031.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 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

Organisers highlight this year's AI summit as the first to be hosted by a developing country.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 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

Situated in the midst of a rapidly developing country the enterprises of these free Negroes increased in importance every year.

From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921 by Various

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