WHere did the phrase “third world country” come from? What’s the meaning behind it? DO we have “First World” and “Second World” countries too? What’s the story behind how that phrase obtained its menaning?
This question has been posed and answered several times. You might try a “Search” sometime when the boards ain’t so slow.
Quickly, though: First world meant the developed countries, such as US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, etc. Second world were the Communist Countries like Russia and the satellite countries. Third world were the rest.
Those terms are still in common use, but considered obsolete by anyone in international business. There is no “second world” anymore, and the term “third world” has a negative connotation.
Nowadays, folks tend to us “developed” and “developing” (since “underdeveloped” and “undeveloped” also have negative connotations.) Seems to me there’s a big difference between a “developing” nation like Poland or Mexico, and a “developing” nation like Rwanda or Uzbekstan, but that’s just my two … um… pesos.
Cecil credits “third world” to French demographer Alfred Sauvy, who is said to have coined it in 1952.
Occasionally an additional category has been used: “Third World” was restricted to countries that actually were developing, like Mexico or Malaysia, while “Fouth World” described the poorest of the poor, who were not developing at all, such as Sudan, Sierra Leone, or Afghanistan.