| 1 | Angola |
| 2 | Cape Verde |
| 3 | Congo, Dem. Rep. of the |
| 4 | Ethiopia |
| 5 | Lesotho |
| 6 | Mali |
| 7 | Rwanda |
| 8 | Somalia |
| 9 | Uganda |
| 10 | Samoa |
| 11 | Asia |
| 12 | Afghanistan |
| 13 | Lao PDR |
| 14 | Timor-Leste |
| 15 | Solomon Islands |
| 16 | Australia and the Pacific |
| 17 | Kiribati |
| 18 | Benin |
| 19 | Central African Republic |
| 20 | Djibouti |
| 21 | Gambia |
| 22 | Liberia |
| 23 | Mauritania |
| 24 | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 25 | Sudan |
| 26 | Zambia |
| 27 | Bangladesh |
| 28 | Maldives |
| 29 | Yemen |
| 30 | Tuvalu |
| 31 | Bhutan |
| 32 | Myanmar |
| 33 | Cambodia |
| 34 | Nepal |
| 35 | Burundi |
| 36 | Comoros |
| 37 | Eritrea |
| 38 | Guinea-Bissau |
| 39 | Malawi |
| 40 | Niger |
| 41 | Sierra Leone |
| 42 | Togo |
| 43 | Burkina Faso |
| 44 | Chad |
| 45 | Equatorial Guinea |
| 46 | Guinea |
| 47 | Madagascar |
| 48 | Mozambique |
| 49 | Senegal |
| 50 | Tanzania |
Trading
List of Least Developed Countries
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on April 8, 2013
1 min read· Last updated: June 11, 2018
Key Takeaways
- The UN officially designates 44 countries as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as of December 2024.
- The list is reviewed every three years by the UN Committee for Development Policy using criteria like GNI per capita, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
- Several LDCs, including Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Nepal, are scheduled to graduate from LDC status in late 2026.
- Regional distribution spans Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific with Africa having the most LDCs.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a Least Developed Country (LDC)?
A UN‑designated LDC meets low thresholds in gross national income per capita, human assets, and economic vulnerability based on triennial reviews by the Committee for Development Policy.
How many countries are currently on the LDC list?
As of December 2024, there are 44 countries designated as LDCs by the United Nations.
Which countries are scheduled to graduate from LDC status soon?
Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Nepal are scheduled to graduate on 24 November 2026; Solomon Islands on 13 December 2027; and Cambodia and Senegal on 19 December 2029.
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