The concept of the
First World originated during the
Cold War and included countries that were generally aligned with or on friendly terms with the
United States (including all
NATO countries) and were generally identified as
non-theocratic democracies with primarily
market-based economies. While there is no current consensus on an exact definition of the term, in modern usage, "First World country" generally implies a relatively wealthy, stable and functional non-theocratic democracy with a reasonably well educated population, or just any
developed country.