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developing country

American

noun

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.

developing country British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of developing country

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

When the accord was signed in 2015, China was classified as a developing country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 25, 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023