Global South

or glob·al south

[ gloh-buhl south ]

noun

1. the low- or middle-income countries located in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania; Third World:

   The article argues that poverty in the Global South stems from European exploitation of its natural resources.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Global South¹

First recorded in 1965–70; not literally referring to the Southern Hemisphere, but continuing the 20th century contrasts between the wealthy industrial north and the poverty-stricken agricultural south, and probably beginning with Antonio Gramsci’s essay “The Southern Question” (1926), in which he argued southern Italy had, in effect, been colonized by capitalists from northern Italy

Example Sentences

The historic election of the first Latin American Pope signals a shift of Christianity to the Global South.

From The Daily Beast

Al Jazeera changed the very nature of news reporting from the Arab world and from what many refer to as the "global south."

From The Daily Beast

Trade is growing too, both within Africa and with partners, including the global South.

From The Daily Beast