<P> There are three countries which presently meet the criteria for LDC status, but have declined to be included in the index, questioning the validity or accuracy of the CDP's data: Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Zimbabwe . </P> <P> Least developed countries can be distinguished from developing countries, "less developed countries", "lesser developed countries", or other terms for countries in the so - called Third World . Although many contemporary scholars argue that "Third World" is outdated, irrelevant or inaccurate, others may use the term "Fourth World" in reference to least developed countries (although Fourth World is also used to refer to stateless ethnic groups). The term "less economically developed country" (LEDC) is also used today . </P> <P> However, in order to avoid confusion between "least developed country" and or LEDC "less economically developed country" (which may both be abbreviated as LDC), and to avoid confusion with landlocked developing country (which can be abbreviated as LLDC), "developing country" is generally used in preference to "less - developed country". </P> <P> During a United Nations review in 2018, the UN defined LDCs as countries meeting three criteria, one of which was a three - year average estimate of gross national income (GNI) per capita of less than US $1,025 . Countries with populations over 75 million are excluded . </P>

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