Meaning & use
developing country
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A country with a less advanced economy and lower average income than richer industrial nations.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a developing country' or 'developing countries'; it takes singular or plural verbs accordingly.
Patterns
- a developing country
- developing countries in Africa
- live in a developing country
Many developing countries rely on agriculture for most of their exports.
She spent two years working as a nurse in a developing country in Southeast Asia.
The report compares health spending in developing countries with that in wealthy nations.
Word forms
| plural | developing countries |
|---|
Common combinations
- developing country in Africa
- Ghana is often described as a developing country in Africa with a fast-growing tech sector.
- low-income developing country
- Debt relief was offered to low-income developing countries after the crisis.
- developing country status
- The government argued that its developing country status should be maintained.
- aid to developing countries
- Rich nations promised more aid to developing countries at the summit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emerging economy
- Often used for countries that are growing quickly and attracting investment; 'developing country' is broader and more neutral.
- third world country
- Old-fashioned and now often considered offensive; avoid it in formal or polite writing.
- less developed country
- A more formal, technical alternative used in some reports, but it can sound negative.
Opposites
Word family
- develop verb
- To grow or make something grow bigger or more advanced.
- development noun
- The process of growing or improving, especially economic growth.
- developer noun
- A person or company that builds or creates something, often software or property.
Commonly confused: developing country or developed country?
developing country vs developed country
A developed country has an advanced economy (like Japan or Germany); a developing country is still building its economy and infrastructure.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'developing country' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 uses the singular countable noun with the article 'a' and the correct singular form. Option 1 has a wrong plural spelling; option 2 is missing an article; option 3 uses 'the', which suggests a specific country already mentioned, not a general example.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “developing country”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.