Types of countries by socio-economic development. "The main types of countries in the modern world

This problem is solved by geographical typologies that take into account all countries of the world. Geographic typologies take into account both quantitative indicators and the level of development, and similar features of the territorial structure of the economy, economic and political history:

• scale of the country (area, population);
• the country's economic potential (GDP, GNI, GNI structure);
• level of economic development and quality of life;
• urbanization of the country;
• features of historical development;
• peculiarities of the country's participation in international division labor;
• the peculiarity of the territorial structure of the economy and society;
• ethnic composition of the population;
• the nature of the political organization of society.

These countries are characterized by high per capita GNI, energy consumption, high average life expectancy, and a predominance of economic structure farms with a low share Agriculture... All of them are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Major capitalist countries- this is the USA "> USA, Japan, Germany, France"> France, Italy and Great Britain. They occupy the leading places in the world in terms of GDP. They and Canada are called the G7 countries. They account for more than half of all industrial products the world, the bulk foreign investment... They form three main economic "poles" modern world: Western European with a "core" in Germany, American (USA) and Asian (Japan).

Over the past decades, the role of these states in the world economy has changed significantly. The role and influence of Japan in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world as a whole is growing; over the past decades, Japan's share in world GDP almost doubled, Japanese high-tech goods are conquering markets in other regions.

Economically highly developed small countries of Western Europe(Belgium, the Netherlands "> Netherlands, Luxembourg"> Luxembourg, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland "> Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra) are characterized by high per capita incomes, high quality of life, political stability.

Many of them are neutral states with the lowest defense costs in the world. The high-tech industry of these countries operates mainly on imported raw materials, and most of the manufactured products are exported. The share of income from the service sector is large in GDP - banking and tourism.

Countries of resettlement capitalism- these are mainly the former Colony "> colonies of Great Britain, some of them still recognize the Queen of England, Australia, Canada, South Africa as the head of their state. The population of these countries was formed with the decisive role of migrations from the metropolises. The indigenous population was placed on the reservation and has a significant lower incomes and quality of life The economies of these countries are dominated by the companies of the former metropolis or neighboring countries - economic giants. Compared to other developed countries, the mining industry is of great importance in their economies.

Countries with an average level of economic development possessed in the past huge colonial empires and lived off the exploitation of overseas colonies and unequal exchange with them. The loss of the colonies led to a weakening of their economic power and the loss of political influence in Europe. During the twentieth century. almost all of these countries were ruled by military and fascist dictatorships, which also affected their lagging behind other economically developed countries... Accession to the European Union, the signing of the Schengen agreements and the entry into the euro area contributed to an increase in economic growth and an increase in living standards in these countries. This group includes Greece and Ireland, which for a long time was dependent on Great Britain, Spain and Portugal.

Developing countries

This type includes states with a market economy and a low level of socio-economic development. Differences between industrialized countries and developing countries lie not so much in the field of economics as in the peculiarities of the territorial structure of the economy.

Some states that are classified as developing countries according to the classification adopted today, in terms of a number of indicators (GDP per capita, development of pioneering industries), not only approach the developed countries, but sometimes even surpass them. Nevertheless, the main characteristics of the socio-economic development of developing countries are dependence on foreign capital, the size of external debt, the territorial structure of the economy allow us to classify them as developing countries.

Within the territory of developing countries, as a rule, areas coexist with different socio-economic structures - from a primitive appropriating economy, subsistence economy to modern industrial ones. Moreover, natural and semi-natural lifestyles occupy a significant area of ​​the territory, but are practically excluded from the general economic life. Commodity structures are mainly associated with the external market. Many of the developing countries have not yet defined their "faces" in international economy and politics.

Key countries(countries of large potential). This group includes China, India, Brazil, Mexico, which occupy the second, fourth, ninth and fourteenth places in the world in terms of GDP, respectively. They have the most significant human potential in the developing world, cheap labor, and a variety of world-class mineral resources; a number of manufacturing industries produce high-tech and high-quality products. India and China are world leaders in terms of population; these countries are characterized by low per capita GNI, a low share of the urban population, and low indicators of the quality of life.

Brazil and Mexico have been politically independent states since the first quarter of the 19th century. They have achieved a high level of development through the use of foreign investment "> investment. In these countries, there are sharp contrasts between poor and rich areas, between poor and rich groups of the population.

Highly urbanized resettlement countries with rich agricultural resources and a high standard of living - Argentina and Uruguay stand out as a separate group of countries. The lack of significant reserves of minerals impeded the development of those industries with which industrialization usually began, and the prohibitions European Union on the import of cheap agricultural products in order to support farmers, introduced in the 1970s, began to restrain the development of their agricultural sector.

Countries of enclave development. The main distinguishing feature of the economies of many countries of this type is the existence of export-oriented mining enclaves, which are controlled by foreign capital and are weakly connected to the national economy. Venezuela, Chile, Iran, Iraq receive the main income from the development of deposits and the export of minerals (oil in Venezuela, Iran and Iraq; copper and saltpeter - in Chile).

Countries of external development. This type includes countries that are average in terms of population and resource potential - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay (in Latin America), Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia "> Tunisia (in Africa), Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand"> Thailand (in Asia).

The economies of these countries are focused on the export of minerals, light industry products, and agricultural products. For some countries - Colombia and Bolivia - drug production and trafficking, illegal political movements and labor immigration to wealthier countries are important.

In this group of countries, stand out, the economy of which in recent decades has been developing and newly industrialized countries (NIS) exclusively high rates due to foreign investment, imported technology and the availability of a cheap and relatively skilled labor force. The development of high-tech industries (electronics, electrical engineering) has brought these countries to the list of world leaders in the export of consumer goods (clothing, consumer electronics) to developed countries. NIS of the first wave- The Republic of Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong (SAR of China) and the island of Taiwan were able to close their gap with the economically developed countries. The classification of the International Monetary Fund since 1997 classifies them as economically developed countries.

Among the new industrialized countries also include Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines ( NIS of the second wave). Newly industrialized countries play an ever-increasing role in the export of knowledge-intensive industrial goods to developed countries.

Oil exporting countries to their modern development are obliged to the inflow of Petrodollars "> petrodollars. The export of oil, whose fountains gushed in the desert regions, previously known only to nomads, radically transformed the economy of these countries, made it possible to create modern cities, develop education and health care. Interesting that the economic growth did little to change the traditional social institutions of the oil-exporting states: in the majority the monarchy "> monarchical system has been preserved, the norms of everyday life and even laws are based on the commandments of Islam. This type includes the oil-producing monarchies of the Persian Gulf ( Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, United United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain), which in recent decades have turned from a backward nomadic periphery of the Arab world into the largest oil exporters. Some of these countries have begun to form “funds for future generations” at the expense of petrodollars, the funds of which are spent on the creation of manufacturing industries and irrigated agriculture.

Plantation countries("Banana republics") do not differ in large human and resource potential... This type includes Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba "> Cuba (in Latin America), Sri Lanka (in Asia), Cote d'Ivoire and Kenya (in Africa).

The ethnic composition of the population of Latin American countries was formed under the influence of the slave trade. The political life of all countries, with the exception of Costa Rica, which is dominated by a Creole population, is characterized by political instability, frequent military coups and guerrilla movements.

The low standard of living of the population, the domination of foreign capital, the dependent national policy contribute to the growth of social contrasts, which in turn give rise to frequent military coups and revolutions.

Concession Development Countries... These are Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Gabon, Botswana, Papua New Guinea. These countries have recently gained political independence and have world-class mineral resources. Extraction and export of minerals, on the one hand, provides the bulk of foreign exchange earnings, on the other hand, makes the economies of these countries dependent on price fluctuations in world markets.

Landlord countries- small island and coastal independent states and colonial possessions located at the crossroads of the most important international transport routes. Favorable geographical location, preferential tax policy turned their territory into the headquarters of the largest transnational corporations and banks. Some countries, thanks to the extremely favorable conditions charter and insurance of ships became the "home ports" of huge fleets, which brought together merchant ships from all over the world (Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Panama, Bahamas, Liberia).

Malta, Cyprus, Barbados have become world centers of the tourist business.

Large low-income countries... This group includes Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam. These countries occupy the Leading Countries in terms of population "> leading places in the world in terms of population (excluding Vietnam). active population rural residents predominate.

Countries differ among themselves not only in geographic location, the size of the territory, the forms state structure, but also according to the levels of socio-economic development. Our world is extremely diverse, and in order to group countries according to this criterion, many factors must be taken into account. These include: the country's economic potential, the country's share in world production, the structure of the economy, the degree of its involvement in the international, territorial, demographic indicators, etc.

The most common quantitative indicators reflecting the level of socio-economic development:

• gross domestic product (GDP) - the total value of all goods produced in the territory of a given country for the year (in monetary terms);
• gross national product (GNP) is GDP minus profits foreign companies in a given country, but with the addition of profits received by citizens of the country outside of it.

In order to be able to compare these indicators by different countries, data on GDP GNP are recorded in a single monetary measure - dollars. Important indicators are GDP and GNP per capita, which indicate the level of development of countries. with the highest and lowest rates of GDP per capita are shown in the table.

For a long time, the development of society was measured economic performance and, above all, per capita income; at the same time, the main path of development of the country's economy was assumed to be the rapid growth of industry. At present, the factors of social development are more and more taken into account:

• availability of education and medical care,
• the level of development of science and transport,
• condition environment and etc.

UN international organizations have calculated an integral indicator of human development, which can be used to compare and contrast the level and quality of life of the population. This indicator (index) includes many elements, but the main ones are:

• medium;
• literacy and education levels;
• standard of living (taking into account GDP per capita and purchasing power of the population).

For example: the average life expectancy in Afghanistan is 42 years, in Japan - 82; literacy rate at - 12%, at about 100%; GDP per capita in Zaire is $ 220 and in Denmark $ 33,300.

Considering many indicators, the statistical editions of the UN specialized organizations adhere to the classification according to which the countries of the world are subdivided into market economies and. However, due to the rapidly changing socio-political situation in the world, it is increasingly difficult to draw a clear line between them. We offer one of the classifications adopted by the UN.

Economically developed countries. This group includes foreign states, and, the United States, (recently, Turkey has been increasingly referred to).

Countries "" - USA, Japan, Canada - have high economic potential and influence on the political and economic life planets.

Highly developed small countries of Europe:, etc. They are characterized by high GDP per capita, stability, the leading role in the economy is played by the service sector.

Mid-developed countries:,. They lag behind developed countries in terms of the size and structure of GDP, as well as the level of income of the population.

Countries of immigration capitalism. This - South Africa, Canada - practically did not know feudalism and are distinguished by the originality of economic development.

Post-socialist countries. Developing in the past along the socialist path, these countries into a collective sector, centralized planning of the economy and priority development basic industries.

The post-socialist countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Independent States stand out in a special group.

CAR, Paraguay, Nepal, Bhutan). Moreover, very often geographic does not affect the level of its socio-economic development. Some states occupy an entire continent (), while others are located on a small island or group of islands (, etc.).

These are the most developed countries in the world in terms of their economic, scientific and technical potential. They differ from each other in the peculiarities of their development and economic power, but they are all united by a very high level development and the role they play in.

This group of countries includes six states from the famous "big seven". Among them, the United States ranks first in terms of economic potential.

These countries have reached a high level of development, but each of them, in contrast to the main capitalist countries, has a much narrower specialization in the world economy. At the same time, they send up to half of their products to the external market. In the economies of these states, a large share of the non-production sphere (banking, the provision of various kinds of services, the tourism business, etc.).

1.3. Countries of "resettlement capitalism": Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel.

The first four countries are former colonies of Great Britain. Capitalist relations arose in them as a result of economic activity immigrants from Europe. But unlike the United States, which at one time was also a resettlement colony, their development had some peculiarities.

Despite the high level of development, these states retain their agrarian and raw material specialization, which took shape in their colonial period. But such specialization in the international division of labor differs significantly from such specialization in developing countries, since it is combined with a highly developed domestic economy.

Israel is a small state formed at the expense of immigrants after the Second World War in Palestine (which was after the First World War under the mandate of the League of Nations under the control of Great Britain).

Canada is included in the "big seven" economically highly developed countries, but according to the type and characteristics of the development of its economy, it belongs to this group.

The second group in this typology includes:

2. Countries with an average level of development of capitalism... There are few such countries. They differ from the states included in the first group both in history and in the level of their socio-economic development. Among them, subtypes can also be distinguished:

2.1. Country that achieved political independence and average economic development under the dominance of the capitalist system: Ireland.

The current level of economic development and political independence were achieved at the cost of an extremely difficult national struggle against imperialism. Until recently, Finland also belonged to this subtype. However, at present this country is included in the group of "Economically highly developed countries".

In the past, these states have played an important role in world history. Spain and Portugal created huge colonial empires during the era of feudalism, but later lost all their possessions.

Despite the well-known successes in the development of industry and the service sector, in terms of the level of development, these countries generally lag behind the economically highly developed states.

The third group includes:

3. Economically less developed countries(developing countries).

This is the largest and most diverse group of countries. For the most part, these are former colonial and dependent countries, which, having received political independence, fell into economic dependence on the countries that were previously their metropolises.

There are many things that unite the countries of this group, including development problems, as well as internal and external difficulties associated with a low level of economic development and social sphere, disadvantage financial resources, lack of experience in running a capitalist commodity economy, lack of qualified personnel, strong economic dependence, huge external debt, etc. The situation is aggravated by civil wars and interethnic conflicts. In the international division of labor, they occupy far from the best positions, being mainly suppliers of raw materials and agricultural products to economically developed countries.

In addition, in all countries of this type, due to the rapid population growth, the social situation of large masses of residents is deteriorating, an excess of labor resources, the demographic, food and others are especially acute.

But despite common features, the countries of this group are very different from each other (and there are only about 150 of them). Therefore, the following subtypes are distinguished:

3.2.2. Countries of large-scale development of capitalism:
, Chile, Iran, Iraq, (developed with a massive invasion of foreign capital associated with the export exploitation of large mineral deposits on the territory of these states).

Note that the states of the world included in the first and second groups of the typology presented above are the industrially developed countries of the world. All developing states were included in the third group.

This typology was created when the world was bipolar (divided into capitalist and socialist), and characterized only the non-socialist countries of the world.

Now, when the world from bipolar turns into unipolar, new typologies of the countries of the world are created or the old ones are supplemented and modified (like the typology of MSU scientists presented to readers).

Created, as noted earlier, and other typologies. As a generalizing, synthetic indicator, they often use the indicator of gross domestic or national product (GDP or GNP) per capita. Such, for example, is the well-known typological classification of developing countries and territories (authors: B.M. Bolotin, V.L.Sheinis), which distinguishes "echelons" (upper, intermediate and lower) and seven groups of countries (from countries of medium-developed capitalism to the least developed ).

Scientists of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University (A.S. Fetisov, B.C. Tikunov) have developed a slightly different approach to the classification of non-socialist countries of the world - an evaluative-typological one. They performed multidimensional statistical analysis data for 120 countries based on many indicators reflecting the level of socio-economic and political development of society. They identified seven groups of countries with a level of development from very high (USA, Canada, Sweden, Japan) to very low (Somalia, Ethiopia, Chad, Niger, Mali, Afghanistan, Haiti and others).

The famous scientist-geographer Ya.G. Mashbits distinguished the types of countries in the "developing world" based on industrialization trends. The first group in his classification included countries where large and relatively diverse industrial production is developed (Mexico, India, etc.); to the second - industrial countries of medium potential with significant development of raw materials and processing industries (Venezuela, Peru, Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, etc.); to the third - small states and territories using the benefits of their economic and geographical location (Singapore, Panama, Bahamas, etc.); to the fourth - oil exporting countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.). And the fifth group included the least industrialized countries with limited development prospects (i.e. the least developed countries: Haiti, Mali, Chad, Mozambique, Nepal, Bhutan, Somalia, etc.).

In some economic and geographical typologies among the countries of the developing world distinguish a group of "newly industrialized countries" (NIS). Most often they include Singapore, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea. V last years to this group are added the "NIS of the second wave" - ​​Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and some other countries. The economies of these countries are characterized by high rates of industrialization, export orientation of industrial production (especially products of knowledge-intensive industries), their active participation in the international division of labor.

Attempts at typological differentiation of the countries of the world were made by geographers, economists, and other specialists. You will learn more about the characteristics of various typologies of states in further courses.

Each state has a number of characteristics that researchers change using certain indicators. Their comparison and analysis allow drawing conclusions about the development and state of the economy, demography, and geography. is needed to determine the influence of each of them on the entire world order. Exchange of experience will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the economic and social organization of states and improve performance.

Countries and territories

The economic definition of a country differs from the legal or even ordinary understanding by people.

The classification of countries can take into account both territorial units recognized by countries and those that are not. Such territories can conduct independent economic policy and taking into account their development. Therefore, they are taken into account when compiling the classification of countries by economic level of development. This applies to some of the island dependent territories of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands. The classification of countries considers such areas as separate economic units.

Universal international organizations collect and analyze information about their member countries. They include almost all world states.

Classification principle

Since the classifications of the countries of the world are carried out mainly by international organizations (UN, IMF, WB, etc.), the most common data collection systems are designed for the interests of these committees. Highlighted on the map below:

Green - economically developed countries;

Yellow - medium-developed states;

Red - third world countries.

So, The World Bank collects information about the level of economies of countries. At the same time, the UN draws attention to their demographic and socio-economic situation.

Scientists, however, identify several main types of data collection and processing, which include the classification of countries in the world.

According to the type of socio-economic system, there was a classification dividing the world into capitalist, socialist and developing states.

According to the level of development, countries are classified as developed and developing.

Geographic classification of countries takes into account the size and location of countries on the world map. Also taken into account is their number and structure of the population, natural resources.

Geographic classification

Determining and assessing the position of a country on the world map is quite important. This can be used as a basis for drawing up other classifications. The location of the country on the world map is also relative. After all, the boundaries of a certain territorial unit can change. But all changes and existing conditions are capable of influencing conclusions about the state of affairs of a particular country or region.

There are countries with a very large territory (Russia, USA, Canada, India), and there are microstates (Vatican, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco). Geographically, they are also divided into landlocked and landlocked. There are continental and island countries.

The combination of these factors often determines the socio-economic situation, which reflects the classification of the countries of the world.

Population classification

To build a system of the world order, it is also important to take into account the classification of countries by population. It involves a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the demographic situation.

According to this point of view, all states are divided into countries with a large, medium and small population. Moreover, in order to draw adequate conclusions about this indicator, the number of people per territorial unit is calculated. This allows you to estimate the population density.

The number of the population is considered in terms of its growth. Compare fertility and mortality. If population growth is positive, this indicates an excess of the birth rate over the death rate, and vice versa. Today, the growth is observed in India, the USA, the UK and several African countries. Decrease in population - in the countries of Eastern Europe, Russia, Arab states.

The classification of countries by population is based on the demographic structure. The share of the working-age, educated population, as well as nationality, are important for the analysis.

Economic development classification

The most common classification used by many organizations and world research institutes is based on the economic development of countries.

The development of this typology was carried out on the basis of many years of research. It is constantly being improved and improved.

All world states, according to this approach, can be divided into highly, medium and underdeveloped economically areas. This is the most widely used method. The classification of countries according to the level of development does not take into account the post-socialist and

Based on the typology presented, international organizations draw conclusions about the appropriateness financial aid the most

Each of these groups has its own subtypes.

Economically developed countries

The group of developed countries includes the USA, Canada, Western Europe, South Africa, the Australian Union, and New Zealand.

These countries have a high economic level development and significant impact on political situation in the world. Their role in general trade relations is predominant.

The classification of countries by level distinguishes this group of countries as owners of high scientific and technical potential.

The biggest influence on world economy have highly capitalist countries, six of which are members of the G7. These are Canada, USA, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, France, Italy. A more narrow specialization is in highly developed small countries (Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, etc.).

The socio-economic classification of countries in the group under consideration distinguishes a separate subgroup: South Africa, New Zealand, Israel, Australia. All of them were once. They have specialization in agricultural raw materials in world trade.

Economically moderately developed countries

When classifying countries according to the development of economic relations, they distinguish a group that is historically and socio-economically different from the previous typology.

There are not so many such states, but they can also be divided into certain types. The first group includes countries that develop independently and have reached an average level in the field of economic activity. Ireland can be considered a striking example of such a state.

The classification of countries by the level of economic development identifies the next subgroup of states that have lost their former influence on the world economy. They lagged somewhat behind the highly capitalist states in their development. According to the socio-economic classification, this subgroup includes countries such as Greece, Spain, Portugal.

Developing countries

This group is the largest and most diverse. It includes countries that have a number of difficulties in the field economic ties, both internal and external. They lack skills and qualified personnel. External debt such countries are very large. They are highly dependent economically.

The classification of countries by development also includes states in whose territory wars or interethnic conflicts are waged. They predominantly occupy low positions in world trade.

Developing countries supply other countries mainly with raw materials or agricultural products. There is a high level of unemployment and a lack of resources.

This group includes about 150 countries. Therefore, there are subtypes here that deserve separate consideration.

Types of developing countries

Classification of countries by economic development in the developing group distinguishes several subgroups.

The first one is key countries(Brazil, India, Mexico). They have the greatest potential among similar states. Their economies are very diversified. Such countries have significant labor, raw materials and economic resources.

The young liberated states include about 60 countries. There are many oil exporters among them. Their economy is still developing, and in the future its state will depend only on the socio-economic decisions made by the authorities. These states include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Libya, Brunei, Qatar.

The third subgroup is the countries of relatively mature capitalism. These are the states where dominance market economy established itself only in the last few decades.

Classification of countries of relatively mature capitalism

In the subgroup of countries with relatively mature capitalism, a number of subspecies are distinguished. The first includes states of the resettlement type with the early development of dependent capital (Argentina, Uruguay). Their population is quite high, which was made possible by a number of new reforms.

The classification of countries in the subgroup under consideration distinguishes states of large-scale development of capitalism. Foreign injections into the economy are massive thanks to the export of raw materials from large mineral deposits.

The next subspecies characterizes the countries of the outwardly oriented adaptive development of capitalism. Their economies are focused on export and import substitution.

There is also a distinction between countries of concession development and resort-type "tenants" countries.

GDP and GNI level

There is a widespread classification based on the level of GDP per capita. It highlights the central and peripheral areas. The central ones include 24 states, the total level of GDP in world production of which is 55% and 71% in total exports.

The group of central states has a per capita GDP of about $ 27,500. Near-periphery countries have a similar figure of $ 8600. Developing countries are classified in the far periphery. Their GDP figure is only $ 3500, and sometimes even less.

The World Bank's economic classification of countries uses GNI per capita. This allows us to distinguish 56 countries into the group of countries with the considered high indicator. Moreover, the G7 states, although they are included in it, are not in the first places.

The average level of GNI was recorded in Russia, Belarus, China and in 102 other countries. Low GNI is observed in the states of the far periphery. This includes 33 states, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

UN classification

The United Nations has identified only 60 developed countries that have high indicators in the field market relations, scientific and technological progress, production efficiency. The organization also takes into account the level of rights and social standards of the population. GDP in these countries per capita is more than $ 25,000. According to this indicator, Russia is also included in the number of developed countries. However, the qualitative indicators of economic and social processes do not allow considering the Russian Federation, according to the UN, a developed country.

All post-socialist countries are classified by the organization as states with economies in transition. The rest of the countries that were not included in the previous two groups are ranked by the UN as developing countries that have, to a greater or lesser extent, problems in the socio-economic sphere.

The listed factors and characteristics make it possible to group states into certain subspecies. Country classification is a powerful tool comparative analysis, on the basis of which you can plan and improve their position in the future.

Discipline "Fundamentals of Regional Studies" Lecture 3

Country typology

Country typology- identification of groups of countries with a similar type and level of socio-economic development. The type of country is formed objectively, it is a relatively stable complex of its inherent features of development, characterizing its role and place in the world community at this stage world history... Determining the type of state means attributing it to one or another socio-economic category.

To highlight the types of countries, the indicator is gross domestic product(GDP) - the cost of all final products material production and non-production sphere, released in the territory of a given country for one year per capita. The criteria for identifying types of countries are the level of economic development, the country's share in world production, the structure of the economy, and the degree of participation in the MGRT.

The UN currently has two classifications of countries. In the first, all countries in the world are divided into three types - 1) economically highly developed countries ; 2) developing countries; 3) (from planned to market). At the same time, the third type actually includes the former socialist countries, which are carrying out economic transformations to build a market economy. According to the second UN classification, two large groups of countries are distinguished: 1) economic developed countries and 2) developing... With such a division, extremely different states are united into one group of countries. Therefore, within each type of country, smaller groups are distinguished - subtypes.

Economically developed countries

TO economically developed countries The UN includes about 60 states: all of Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel. These countries, as a rule, are characterized by a high level of economic development, a predominance of manufacturing and service industries in GDP, and a high standard of living of the population. But this group includes Russia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, etc. Due to the heterogeneity, economically developed countries are divided into several subtypes:

Economically developed countries:

1. main countries- USA, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Canada. They provide more than 50% of the production of all industrial and more than 25% of agricultural products in the world. Major countries and Canada (excluding China) are often referred to as the "G7 countries." (In 1997, Russia was admitted to The big seven, which became the "Big Eight".)
2. economically developed countries of Europe- Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Scandinavian countries, etc. These countries are characterized by political stability, high living standards, high GDP and the highest export and import per capita. Unlike the main countries, they have a much narrower specialization in the international division of labor. Their economy is more dependent on income from banking, tourism, intermediary trade, etc .;
3. countries of "resettlement capitalism"- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa - the former colonies of Great Britain - and the state of Israel, formed in 1948 by the decision of the UN General Assembly. Characteristic feature these countries (except Israel) is to maintain an international specialization in the export of raw materials and agricultural products. Unlike developing countries, this agrarian and raw material specialization is based on high labor productivity and is combined with a developed domestic economy.

Countries with an average level of development:

1. medium-developed countries of Europe: Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland. In terms of the level of development of the productive forces, they lag somewhat behind modern technical progress. Spain and Portugal in the past were the largest colonial empires, played a large role in world history. But the loss of the colonies led to the loss of political influence and the weakening of the economy, which until then was held by the wealth of the colonies;
2. countries with economies in transition- CIS countries, Eastern Europe countries. They carry out reforms aimed at the development of market relations in the economy instead of central planning. This subgroup of countries emerged in the 1990s due to the collapse of the world socialist system. The subgroup includes countries that differ significantly from each other (see Note).

Developing countries

TO developing countries the UN classification includes all other countries in the world. Almost all of them are located in Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are home to more than of the world's population, they occupy more than ½ of the land area, but they account for less than 20% of the manufacturing industry and only 30% of agricultural production foreign world(data from 1995). Developing countries are characterized by an export-oriented economy, which puts national economy countries depending on the world market; diversified economy; special territorial structure of the economy, scientific and technological dependence on developed countries, sharp social contrasts. Developing countries are very diverse. There are several approaches to subtyping within this group of countries.

The place of any country in the typology is not constant and can change over time.

Problems of identifying developed and developing countries

The border between developed and developing countries is usually determined by UN experts by the criterion of $ 6,000 per capita per year for the country. However, this indicator does not always allow for an objective classification of countries. Some states that are classified as developing according to the UN classification, in terms of a number of indicators (GDP per capita, the level of development of advanced high-tech industries) have come close to economically developed countries or have already surpassed them. Thus, in 1997, Singapore, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea were officially transferred from the group of developing countries to the group of developed ones. But at the same time, other indicators of the socio-economic and political development of countries - the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy, dependence on foreign capital - still remain more characteristic of developing countries. Russia, on the other hand, with this classification, having an indicator of per capita GDP of about 2500 dollars. per year, formally falls into the group of developing countries.

Given such difficulties with the classification of countries in the world by GDP, they are now trying to identify other, more objective criteria for determining the level of socio-economic development of countries. For example, on the basis of average life expectancy, level of education, real value of average income of the population, the development index is determined human potential(HDI). Applying this criterion, UN experts divide the countries of the world into three groups - with high, medium and low HDI. Then the top ten most developed countries in the world turn out to be different than when accounting for GDP per capita per year, and Russia and the CIS countries fall into the second group, while Russia is in 67th place between Suriname and Brazil.

Note

Inclusion in the two-term typology of the former socialist countries is rather difficult. The level of their socio-economic development is different: most countries, for example, Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, Russia, Ukraine, are economically developed, but other countries occupy an intermediate position between developed and developing ones. According to various criteria, China can also be classified as a developed and a developing country.