Developed countries
Also called: Rich countries, Developed economies · Topic: Measuring Development: Income, HDI and Sustainability · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Development"
Meaning
In NCERT's usage, developed countries are rich, high-income countries. There is one exception: rich countries of the Middle East and certain other small countries are generally not called developed. Oil wealth or a very small size can give a country high income without broad development. Lower-income countries are commonly called developing or underdeveloped.
Example
The World Bank sorts countries by GNI per capita, which is national income per person converted to US dollars by its Atlas method. Under the FY2026 thresholds (set in July 2025), "high income" means above $13,935. India is in the lower-middle income group. The government's Viksit Bharat@2047 goal is for India to reach high-income status by 2047.
Don't confuse with
- World Bank income groups: The World Bank stopped using the "developing countries" label in its World Development Indicators in 2016. It now uses only four income groups (low, lower-middle, upper-middle, high), which it revises every 1 July.