Underdeveloped

Underdeveloped is an adjective used to describe places, economies, or systems that have not achieved a standard level of development relative to a reference point, such as other countries or a set of indicators.

Historically, the term has been used to classify nations by economic output, industrialization, and human development. In the 20th century it appeared in development policy and discourse as part of the developed–underdeveloped dichotomy. This framing has been criticized for being simplistic and value-laden, and for ignoring historical causes like colonialism and external debt.

Indicators often cited include gross domestic product per capita, industrial share of GDP, life expectancy, literacy rates, and access to clean water and electricity. These metrics can be used to gauge where a country falls on the development spectrum, but they can obscure inequalities within nations and changes over time.

Critics argue that the term reinforces a stigmatizing binary and fails to capture structural factors, governance, institutions, and capacity building. As a result, policy language has shifted toward more precise terms such as low-income countries, middle-income countries, least developed countries, or simply developing countries, along with region-specific descriptors like Global South. International organizations also use formally defined categories (for example, the United Nations’ LDC list) to target aid and policy support.

In planning and economics, underdevelopment may refer to specific sectors or regions within a country where infrastructure or capital is lacking, such as underdeveloped transport networks or underdeveloped rural areas. Addressing underdevelopment typically involves investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, governance, trade, and technology transfer.