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

Etymology

Origin of developing country

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

developing country

"Upholding its status as a developing country is a legitimate right of China."

From BBC ● May 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

It is the largest yet and the first in a developing country, with India taking the opportunity to push its ambitions to catch up with the United States and China.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 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