Can someone give me a precise definition of the term "third world country"?

Answer 1

The distinction is usually made on the basis of income of GDP per person. The more common term today is developed(1st), developing(2nd) and undeveloped(3rd) where the third world countries have little or no industry, and most people live no better than they did a 1000 years ago, or even worse because of the increase in population. See
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_percap-economy-gdp-nominal-per-capita for a list of countries GDP per person. The average is $8000 and a rich countries around 4 times that and poor countries about 1/4. You can't make it precise any more than you can clearly say who is poor in the US. In border line cases the growth rate is sometimes used also.

Answer 2

I don't think there are any precise definitions for third word countries, but came up with what I would call a third world country. I hope it helps!

The economically underdeveloped countries with common characteristics, such as poverty, high birthrates, and economic dependence on the advanced countries. Are commonly known as Third World countries.

Four Examples: Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America

Hey I kind of sound like a dictionary. lol

Answer 3

This is a bit out of date. During the Cold War period, in the U.S. and other western countries, there was a tendency to categories the countries of the world as follows:
First World — the western developed countries, that tended to use market mechanisms in their economies (though some countries were social democracies and most were social welfare states, including the United States).
Second World — the communist countries.
Third World — the underdeveloped countries that were not directly alllied to either the Western or the Communist bloc.

With the fall of the Soviet Union and the economic changes in China, the three word division of the globe became somewhat anachronistic. Now there is a tendency to think in terms of developed societies and less developed societies, or developed societies, emerging societies (ex-Communist and advanced southern countries in transition to industrial devellpment), plus a residual set of vaguely underdeveloped countries (mainly in Africa and the Pacific).

Answer 4

The term Third World was originally coined in times of the Cold War to distinguish those nations that are neither aligned with the West (NATO) nor with the East, the Communist bloc. Today the term is often used to describe the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania.
Many poorer nations adopted the term to describe themselves.

Below Third World Countries by various categories:
Third World Countries in terms of political rights and civil liberties.
Third World Countries in terms of their Gross National Income (GNI)
Third World Countries in Terms of their Human Development
Third World Countries in Terms of Poverty
Third World Countries in Terms of Press Freedom

Answer 5

A less complicated answer:

A third-world country at a glance is a country (generally poor, but not always) and under-developed. China recently became a second world country, as it's getting it's priorities straight, and looking into space. Places like parts of Africa, the middle east, etc are third-world countries.

Answer 6

a third world country is a country who did not take part in the World War 2.they remained neutral.(they did not adopt the sides of US or USSR