World Bank country classification

The World Bank classifies countries into four groups

according to income levels (based on 2008 GNI per
capita):
• Economically less developed countries:
ο low income, with GNI per capita of US$975 or less
ο lower middle income, with GNI per capita of
$976–$3855
ο upper middle income, with GNI per capita of
$3856–$11 905.
• Economically more developed countries:
ο high income, with GNI per capita of $11 906 or
more.

Table 16 World Bank country groups by 2008 GNI per capita

Low income economies Lower middle income economies
Afghanistan Ethiopia Madagascar Sierra Leone Albania Guatemala Marshall Sudan
Bangladesh Gambia, The Malawi Somalia Islands
Benin Ghana Mali Tajikistan Angola Guyana Micronesia, Swaziland
Burkina Faso Guinea Mauritania Tanzania Fed. Sts
Burundi Guinea-Bissau Mongolia Togo Armenia Honduras Morocco Syrian Arab
Republic
Cambodia Haiti Mozambique Uganda
Bhutan India Nicaragua Thailand
Central Kenya Myanmar Uzbekistan
African Rep. Bolivia Indonesia Nigeria Timor-Leste
Chad Korea, Dem. Nepal Vietnam Cameroon Iran, Islamic Pakistan Tonga
Rep.
Rep.
Comoros Kyrgyz Rep. Niger Yemen, Rep. Cape Verde Iraq Palau Tunisia
Congo, Dem. Lao PDR Rwanda Zambia China Jordan Papua New Turkmenistan
Rep. Guinea
Eritrea Liberia Senegal Zimbabwe Congo, Rep. Kazakhstan Paraguay Ukraine
Côte d’Ivoire Kiribati Philippines Vanuatu
Djibouti Kosovo Samoa West Bank
and Gaza
Ecuador Lesotho São Tomé and
Principe
Egypt, Arab Macedonia, Solomon
Rep. FYR Islands
El Salvador Maldives Sri Lanka

(continued over)

© Cambridge University Press 2012 Economics for the IB Diploma 1

 World Bank country classification
Upper middle income economies High income economies
Algeria Costa Rica Lithuania Romania Andorra Denmark Israel Puerto Rico
American Cuba Malaysia Russian Antigua and Equitorial Italy Qatar
Samoa Federation Barbuda Guinea
Argentina Dominica Mamibia Serbia Aruba Estonia Japan San Marino
Azerbaijan Dominican Mauritius Seychelles Australia Estonia Korea, Rep. Saudi Arabia
Republic Austria Faroe Islands Kuwait Singapore
Belarus Fiji Mayotte South Africa Bahamas, The Finland LiechtensteinSlovak
Belize Gabon Mexico St Kitts and Republic
Nevis Bahrain France Luxembourg Slovenia
Bosnia and Georgia Moldova St Lucia Barbados French Macao, China Spain
Herzegovina Polynesia
Botswana Grenada Montenegro St Vincent and Belgium Germany Malta Sweden
Grenadines Bermuda Greece Monaco Switzerland
Brazil Jamaica Northern Suriname Brunei Greenland Netherlands Taiwan, China
Mariana Canada Guam Netherlands Trinidad and
Islands Antilles Tobago
Bulgaria Latvia Panama Turkey Cayman Hong Kong, New United Arab
Chile Lebanon Peru Uruguay Islands China Caledonia Emirates
Colombia Libya Poland Venezuela, RB Channel Hungary New Zealand United
Islands Kingdom
Croatia Iceland Norway United States
Cyprus Ireland Oman Virgin Islands
(US)
Czech Isle of Man Portugal
Republic

Source: The World Bank, World Development Report, 2010.

© Cambridge University Press 2012 Economics for the IB Diploma 2