So many people consider India a third world country, especially people from Western countries, but are they right about India? Is India really a third world country?
Well, Historically, Yes, India is a third world country, and before you come to judge us, let us share some historical facts with you.
During the Cold War, India was considered a third world country, because of India’s stance.
Where did the term ‘Third World’ come from?
The term Third World came in 1952 by French demographer and economist Alfred Sauvy.
It was not about poverty, infrastructure, cleanliness, education, or civic sense.
It was about Cold War political alignment.
The Cold War divided the world mostly into 3 groups.
Group 1, aka First World
In the first group were countries aligned with the United States, and this group was called the First World. And these were mostly capitalist countries.
- United States
- United Kingdom
- France
- Canada
- Japan
- Australia
- West Germany
Group 2, aka Second World
In the second group there were some countries aligned with the Soviet Union, and this was called the second World. And these were mostly communist countries.
- Soviet Union
- China (for much of the early Cold War)
- Cuba
- East Germany
- Poland
- Hungary
- Czechoslovakia
Group 3, aka Third World
Now here’s the main point: there were some countries that were aligned with neither Group 1 nor Group 2. They remained officially neutral.
- India
- Indonesia
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal
- Afghanistan
- Mexico
- Singapore
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Yugoslavia
Later many became members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, India was one of the founders of the movement.
Why did India become Third World?
Under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, India adopted the Non-Aligned Policy, choosing strategic independence over joining any bloc during the Cold War.
Does Third World mean poor?
Never!
This is the biggest misconception today.
A country could be rich, developed, agricultural, poor and still be Third World, simply if they stayed out of Cold War Blocs.
Why do people nowadays use the Third World to mean poor?
This is a shift in popular language, not the original definition. But…
Many Third World countries happened to face
- poverty
- colonial legacies
- slower industrialization
- political instability
- lower income
Because many shared these challenges, people gradually began using “Third World” as shorthand for “poor or underdeveloped.”
However these words are not even in use by Organisations like the United Nations and World Bank, instead they use Developing, Emerging and Advanced Countries.
Can someone call India a Third World Country
Yes, only if they are talking about Cold War History.
But if you are talking about today’s world then nobody should say India is a Third World. But if they are, it usually reflects informal speech rather than a recognized international category.
