Good Riddance to the World Bank’s “Developing” Nations

To Replace the Recently Retired Term, We Need a Sliding Scale of Responsibilities and Assistance

There aren’t any developing countries any more. That, at least, according to the World Bank, which has banned the term from the latest printing of the World Development Indicators, its flagship data publication. Says the World Bank: “there is no longer a distinction between developing countries (defined in previous editions as low- and middle-income countries) and developed countries (previously high-income countries).” Going forward, you will look for the average life expectancy of “developing Asia” or the carbon emissions of “developing Europe” in vain.

The Bank’s move comes as no …