See Also: Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index (MSCI World Index)(money)
World War I(dictionary)
First World War(dictionary)
Third World(money)
World Cup, the(dictionary)
old-world(dictionary)
world war(dictionary)
World Cup(encyclopedia)
possible world(encyclopedia)
Third World(dictionary)

third world (sh)




Political designation originally used (1963) to describe those states not part of the first world
the capitalist, economically developed states led by the U.S.
or the second world
the communist states led by the Soviet Union.

The third world principally consists of the developing world, former colonies of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the end of the Cold War and the increased economic competitiveness of some developing countries, the term has lost its analytic clarity.