• LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country

    Developed vs developing vs undeveloped are pretty well defined. They are relative terms. So sure you could in theory move from developed to developing, that kind of thing happens very rarely though.

    I do agree that “developing” implies progression towards developed, so a more accurate term would be something like “partially developed” but its clunkier. Overall though I think they are far more accurate terms than the alternatives.

    • emeralddawn45@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      7 hours ago

      From your link: "According to the United Nations Statistics Division:

      There is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas in the United Nations system.[7]"
      

      I do think rankings like the Human Development Index can be useful, which is a 1-5 ranking based on seven criteria like quality of life, life expectancy and income, but calling some countries ‘developed’ as though they’ve hit the end of some process and no further work needs to be done, while other countries must obviously be ‘developing’ towards that standard is just such an incredibly arrogant narrow-minded worldview that really showcases American exceptionalism.