Creation of the LDC category and timeline of changes to LDC membership and criteria

Timeline of LDC membership changes

2029	Cambodia, Senegal
2027	Solomon Islands*
2026	Bangladesh, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal*
2024	São Tomé and Príncipe
2023	Bhutan
2020	Vanuatu
2017	Equatorial Guinea
2014	Samoa
2012	South Sudan
2011	Maldives
2007	Cabo Verde
2003	Timor-Leste
2000	Senegal
1994	Botswana Angola, Eritrea
1991	Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Zambia
1990	Liberia
1988	Mozambique
1987	Myanmar
1986	Kiribati, Mauritania, Tuvalu
1985	Vanuatu
1982	Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo
1981	Guinea-Bissau
1977	Cabo Verde, Comoros
1975	Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Gambia
1971	Afghanistan, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen

Note: Blue arrow indicates inclusion, green arrow indicates graduation, * indicates scheduled for graduation

Timeline of LDC criteria changes

New components are shown in bold
	2023	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from the most severe structural impediments to sustainable development
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic and environmental vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Prevalence of stunting Maternal mortality ratio Lower secondary school completion rate Adult literacy rate Gender parity index for lower secondary school completion	Remoteness and landlockedness Merchandise export concentration Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in GDP Instability of exports of goods and services Share of population in low elevated coastal zones Share of population living in drylands Victims of disasters Instability of agricultural production
	2020	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from the most severe structural impediments to sustainable development
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic and environmental vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Prevalence of stunting Maternal mortality ratio Gross secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate Gender parity index of gross secondary school enrolment	Remoteness and landlockedness Merchandise export concentration Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in GDP Instability of exports of goods and services Share of population in low elevated coastal zones Share of population living in drylands Victims of disasters Instability of agricultural production
	2017	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from the most severe structural impediments to sustainable development
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Percentage of population undernourished Maternal mortality ratio Gross secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Population Remoteness Merchandise export concentration Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in GDP Share of population in low elevated coastal zones Instability of exports of goods and services Victims of natural disasters Instability of agricultural production
	2011	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from the most severe structural impediments to sustainable development
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Percentage of population undernourished Gross secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Population Remoteness Merchandise export concentration Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in GDP Share of population in low elevated coastal zones Instability of exports of goods and services Victims of natural disasters Instability of agricultural production
	2005	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from low level of human resources and a high degree of economic vulnerability
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Percentage of population undernourished Gross secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Population Remoteness Merchandise export concentration Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in GDP Instability of exports of goods and services Homelessness due to natural disasters Instability of agricultural production
	2002	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from low level of human resources and a high degree of economic vulnerability
		GNI per capita	Human assets index (HAI)	Economic vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Average calorie intake per capita as a percentage of the requirement Gross secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Population size Export concentration Share of manufacturing and modern services in GDP Instability of exports of goods and services Instability of agricultural production
	1999	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from low level of human resources and a high degree of economic vulnerability
		GDP per capita	Augmented physical quality of life (APQL)	Economic vulnerability index (EVI)
			Under-five mortality rate Average calorie intake per capita as a percentage of the requirement Combined primary and secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Population size Export concentration Share of manufacturing and modern services in GDP Instability of exports of goods and services Instability of agricultural production
	1991	LDCs are low-income countries suffering from long-term handicaps to growth, in particular, low levels of human resource development and/or severe structural weaknesses
		GDP per capita	Augmented physical quality of life (APQL)	Economic diversification index (EDI)
			Life expectancy at birth Per capita calorie supply Combined primary and secondary school enrolment ratio Adult literacy rate	Export concentration ratio Share of manufacturing in GDP Share of employment in industry Per capita electricity consumption
	1971	LDCs are countries with very low levels of per capita gross domestic product facing the most severe obstacles to development
		GDP per capita	Adult literacy rate	Share of manufacturing in GDP

Timeline of the creation of the LDC category


		November 1971	26th session of the United Nations General Assembly
			Formally endorsed the list of the 25 LDCs

		March 1971	7th session of the Committee for Developing Planning (CDP)
			Determined the initial criteria for identification of LDCs to be low per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and the presence of structural impediments to growth
			Identified a tentative list of 25 countries as LDCs based on these criteria

		December 1970	25th session of the United Nations General Assembly
			Reiterated the urgency of formal identification of LDCs

		March 1970	6th session of the Committee for Developing Planning (CDP)
			Formed a working group to define the methodology for identifying LDCs

		December 1969	24th session of the United Nations General Assembly
			Acknowledged the need to alleviate the problems of underdevelopment in the less developed countries
			Requested the Secretary-General to carry out a comprehensive examination of the special problems of the LDCs and to recommend special measures for dealing with them

		January-March 1968	Second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
			Acknowledged the need to alleviate the problems of underdevelopment in the less developed countries
			Requested the Secretary-General to carry out a comprehensive examination of the special problems of the LDCs and to recommend special measures for dealing with them

		March-June 1964	First session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
			UNCTAD member States agreed that special attention was to be "paid to the less developed among the developing countries, as an effective means of ensuring sustained growth with equitable opportunity for each developing country"