A
developing country, also called a
less developed country or
underdeveloped country, is a nation with an underdeveloped industrial base, and a low
Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. On the other hand, since the late 1990s developing countries tended to demonstrate higher growth rates than the developed ones. There is no universal, agreed-upon criterion for what makes a country developing versus developed and which countries fit these two categories, although there are general reference points such as a nation's
GDP per capita compared to other nations. Also, the general term
less-developed country should not be confused with the specific
least developed country.