Least Developed Countries (LDC) - Profiles

The LDC category was established by the UN General Assembly in 1971 as an acknowledgment by the international community that special support measures were needed to assist the least developed among the developing countries.

The United Nations defines LDCs as countries that have low levels of income and face severe structural impediments to sustainable development:

• Income: Countries must have an average per capita income of below USD$1,018 for inclusion, and above USD$1,222 for graduation;
• Human Assets: Countries must also have a low score on the Human Assets Index, a tool that measures health and education outcomes, including under-five mortality rate, maternal mortality, adult literacy rate and gender parity for secondary school enrolment;
• Economic and Environmental Vulnerability: Countries must score high on the Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index, which measures factors like remoteness, dependence on agriculture and vulnerability to natural disasters.

Profiles of LDCs | Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States