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June 01, 2004
How low can they go?
With East Timor joining the group, there are now 50 countries officially termed "least developed" by the United Nations. Countries qualify for the tag if they have "very low per capita incomes, weak human resources and high economic vulnerability to shocks". Only 7 of the world's least developed countries - Angola, Bhutan, Chad, Eritrea, Mozambique, Rwanda and Sudan - achieved the 7% growth target set under the Programme of Action for LDCs for the Decade 2001-2010. Rising debt burdens, plummeting commodity prices, civil conflicts and HIV/AIDS have all taken their toll on such countries. Things may only get worse, unless international trade can work to pull these countries out of poverty. The data comes from the 2004 Least Developed Countries Report published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The full report is available online for download, chapter by chapter. Reports back to 1996 are available for comparison. Posted by belinda at June 1, 2004 10:36 AMEmail this