Less Developed Country

Less Developed Country in International Law

Meaning of Less Developed Country (LDC), according to the Dictionary of International Trade (Global Negotiator): A country showing:

(1) a poverty level of income;

(2) a high rate of population increase;

(3) a substantial portion of its workers employed in agriculture;

(4) a low proportion of adult literacy;

(5) high unemployment; and

(6) a significant reliance of a few items for export.

Terms such as third world, poor, developing nations, and underdeveloped have been used to describe less developed countries.