While there is no single definition of a developed
country, the generally accepted concept refers to countries that:
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have achieved relatively high levels of per capita GDP (between US$ 13,000 –
US$ 80,000)
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possess advanced productive sectors (including service and high technology
industries)
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enjoy high quality infrastructure and social services (the
most appropriate, effective and up-to-date)
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undertake relatively high levels of research and innovation
(R&D which focuses on quality and relevance of the technological, industrial,
economic, social and cultural aspects which include quality of life and
management of living resources; user-friendly information society; competitive
and sustainable growth; promotion of innovation and encouragement of
participation; improving human research potential and socio-economic knowledge)
In addition to these broad characteristics, the United Nations has introduced
the Human Development Index (HDI), based largely on the work
of the Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen1, which combines
measures of life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and
per capita GDP into a single index to measure relative human
development among nations. The Human Development Report 20062 which
looks at 2004 ranks Norway as number 1, among 177 countries, with an HDI of
0.965. In comparison, Jamaica is ranked 104 with an HDI of 0.724.
As examples of the quantitative measures of developed country status, the United
Nations classifies countries with high human development as those with an HDI
of 0.800 and over3, while the World Bank classifies high income
countries as those with per capita GNI of US$10,726 and over4.
An even broader concept is that of sustainable development,
which seeks to integrate and balance the economic, social, environmental and
governance components of national development5, and has been defined
as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs6.”
Thus a country's status in terms of its development focuses on well-being and
life chances, determined by several fundamental indicators, including HDI (life
expectancy, levels of adult literacy and school enrolment, purchasing power),
income, GDP per capita, equality/inequality, respect for human rights and
political freedoms, poverty level, status of women/gender balance.
Based on the foregoing, countries are classified as:
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Advanced Economies
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Industrialized Economies
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More Developed Countries (MDCs) and Less Developed Countries (LDCs)
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Low Income, Lower Middle Income, Upper Middle Income and High Income Countries
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High, Medium, and Low Human Development
Jamaica is classified as a lower middle-income developing country with
medium human development.
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The Jamaica 2030 Vision: “A Jamaica which is the place of choice to raise
families, live, work and do business”, thus articulates the definition of
developed country status within the context of world class standards in key
aspects of society – education, health care, nutritional status, basic
amenities (water, housing), access to environmental goods and services,
civility and social order.
1 The Human Development Index (HDI) was created in 1990 by
development economists Mahbub ul Haq, Amartya Sen and Sudhir Anand for the
first UNDP Human Development Report.
2 Human Development Report 2006 – Country Fact Sheets – Jamaica
http:\hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/country_fact_sheets/...
3 See UNDP Human Development Report 2006 for detailed methodology for
calculation of HDI
4 Based on the World Bank Atlas method (2005)
5 E.g. 1. Effects of economic activity on the environment (e.g.,
resource use, pollutant discharges, waste); 2. Environmental services to the
economy (e.g., natural resources, sink functions, contributions to economic
efficiency and employment); 3 Environmental services to society (e.g., access
to resources and amenities, contributions to health, living and working
conditions); 4.Effects of social variables on the environment (e.g.,
demographic changes, consumption patterns, environmental education and
information, institutional and legal frameworks); 5. Effects of social
variables on the economy (e.g., labour force, population and household
structure, education and training; consumption levels, institutional and legal
frameworks); 6. Effects of economic activity on society (e.g., income levels,
equity, employment)
6 World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1987
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Prepared by:
The Plan Development Unit (PDU) March 2007
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