Is Egypt A Third World County?

Most of us associate Egypt with its ancient folklore, the Pyramids, and its vast deserts. Of course, there is so much more to the country than its ancient history. But is Egypt a third-world country?

Egypt is considered to be a third-world country when comparing it to countries on other continents, but it is prosperous compared to many other countries in Africa. That said, there is economic instability within Egypt that leads many to believe it’s the third world. In fact, it would be more accurate to consider Egypt a developing country, though even that definition can be misconstrued.

With a rich history spanning millennia, Egypt has seen its fair share of struggle but is also vibrant in culture, tourism, and diversity. 

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Is Egypt A Third World Country?

There are two different definitions of what constitutes a third-world country. Moreover, countries tend to no longer be classified as first, second, or third-world, given that the terminology no longer suits an accurate depiction of any country. That aside, Egypt would be considered a third-world country based on the previous terminology. 

That said, if Egypt can project a continuous uphill climb related to economic improvements, they could easily see themselves coming out from that particular designation. It remains to be seen whether or not the improvements they have implemented are going to benefit the poorest people in the country in the long term, as this would need to be done to increase the quality of life for more people in Egypt. 

The Egyptian government has had a difficult time ensuring adequate coverage of services and basic needs for those who are suffering the most, and in some instances where there have been extra supplies, they have not been distributed properly to those in most need. 

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Is Egypt An Underdeveloped, Developing, Or Developed Country?

Egypt is a developing country and has been developing for quite a few years. The last twenty years or so have seen a plethora of reforms to diversify their financial strategies to become more widespread. While Egypt used to have an economy that was centralized, it is now one driven by market trends. 

Telecommunications and agriculture have been two of Egypt’s most profitable industries. Agriculture has been it’s most lucrative over the long term, as the country has supplied other countries with commodities such as cotton, corn, tobacco, beans, and wheat. Unfortunately, Egypt has been experiencing desertification for many years, which is drying up some of the once fertile land. 

Egypt is also heavily involved in the textile industry, with textiles, clothing, and fabrics being some of the country’s largest exports. The industry is also one of the country’s largest employers overall. Europe receives quite a bit of exports from Egypt, since it’s able to produce a lot quickly and the country is close by. 

Egypt is also a producer of natural gas and petroleum, though crude oil supply has been in a decline for a few decades. The country also has a handsome supply of gold, iron, and phosphates. Additionally, Egypt manufactures for the automobile industry, produces a lot of nitrogen fertilizer, and home appliances. 

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Why Egypt Would Be Considered A Developing Country 

As many know, Egypt has experienced major shifts in economic success for many years throughout its expansive history. While there is no particular standard for what makes a developing country, the most common associations with these informal classifications would be income and economy. To compare Egypt to a Western country would not be appropriate, as they are not the standard for being first world or developed. 

There is a lot of poverty in Egypt, and it has been difficult for the government to enact any policy to change the unfortunate situations of many of its citizens. Many of the industries in Egypt have also seen ebbs and flows, making it difficult for many industries to grow enough to expand and employ more people. 

It is not for a lack of trying; the Egyptian governments that have been in power for years have made efforts to improve the economic situation, not only for the government, but for the people living in Egypt. For now, there is still an obvious inequality when looking at income, wealth, and opportunity available in Egypt. 

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The Economy In Egypt 

As mentioned, the economy has seen a lot of change in Egypt recently. The government put a lot of work and effort into overhauling their economic systems to make them more beneficial to the country as a whole, rather than for a few participants. As of now, Egypt’s economy is the second strongest in Africa, and is the 35th strongest in the world. 

The past twenty years have seen some of the biggest changes in Egypt’s governmental approach to the economy, especially after getting out of revolutionary rule. The country has struggled with being able to produce enough food and other essentials to keep people fed and well-kept, having to reach out for foreign aid previously. 

Some of the biggest reforms enacted in Egypt to help foster a healthier economy have been tax reforms and remittance from Egyptians working overseas and sending money home to their families. Additionally, the country has increased its quantity of exports and the range of items it can now export. 

An increase in wages, especially for the public sector in Egypt, have also greatly benefited the economy, giving people more money to keep in circulation within the country. That said, the reforms haven’t been enacted perfectly, and they have received some criticism over the years. 

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The History Of Egypt’s Economy

Despite the position Egypt’s economy is in now, things were not always running as smoothly as they are currently. For instance, Egypt tried to industrialize alongside many other areas of the world in the 1800s, but it just didn’t work. At the time, one of the main exports for Egypt was cotton. 

Egypt managed to pivot towards what they did best, which was cotton and sugar production, and that helped them regain some stability financially. This was until the early 1900s, when they started running low on available cotton to harvest among other things. Things ended up leading to a financial crisis in 1952, at which point, revolutionary remige Free Officers took over. 

The Free Officers made changes to the economic structure of Egypt, making it centralized. There would be ebbs and flows regarding the country’s financial situation for many years after these changes. There would be periods of crisis, then periods of reform, only to fall back into another crisis. 

While Egypt’s economy is now in decent shape, that’s not to say that there aren’t other issues that lead to its reference as a third world or developing country. There is income disparity throughout the country, meaning that some people go without and would be considered impoverished. 

About Egypt

Egypt is found in Africa, with a very hot and arid climate. The lifeblood of the country is the Nile River, with much of the population living in close proximity to the river. Egypt is also connected to Asia through both the Suez Canal and the Isthmus of Suez. It is considered to be the most populous Arab country, and is one of the most populated countries in Africa. 

A very large portion of the country is covered by desert and sand. Egypt tends to experience the most rain in the winter, and other seasons tend to stay fairly dry and hot. The country barely experiences any snowfall, though some areas of Mount Sinai may get a sprinkle at higher elevations. 

There are many beautiful areas within Egypt, making it a very popular tourist destination for those who want to learn about history while sightseeing. However, pockets of Egypt do experience some violence and strife on occasion, as with any other country. There are some very old practices that still exist within Egyptian law that are no longer practiced around the world. 

The country is not as progressive as the West in certain areas, especially regarding women, the freedom of religious expression, and marriage equality. That’s not to say Egypt as a country takes the same stances, but in terms of governmental say in these social aspects of life, there are very rigid rules. 

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Final Thoughts 

Egypt has had a varied history in terms of prosperity and poverty, and the government has had to do a lot of restructuring and planning in order to try and recover from several crises over hundreds of years. As of now, Egypt is doing relatively well, though conditions for many of the poorer areas could use vast improvement, as could some of the social structures in the country. 

So is Egypt a third world country? In some respects, it can be classified as such. It has been developing for quite some time, and appears to be continuing on that path towards developing even more. As long as Egypt, as a country, does not lose its sense of hope towards a brighter future, the country should continue towards an incline for years to come. 

Human Development Index Ranking

HDI Rank	Country	Human Development Index (HDI)	Gross national income (GNI) per capita
1	Norway	1	66,494.00
2	Ireland	1	68,371.00
3	Switzerland	1	69,394.00
4	Hong Kong, China (SAR)	0.949	62,985.00
5	Iceland	0.949	54,682.00
6	Germany	0.947	54,682.00
7	Sweden	0.945	54,682.00
8	Australia	0.944	54,682.00
9	Netherlands	0.944	54,682.00
10	Denmark	0.94	58,662.00
11	Finland	0.938	48,511.00
12	Singapore	0.938	88,155.00
13	United Kingdom	0.932	46,071.00
14	Belgium	0.931	52,085.00
15	New Zealand	0.931	40,799.00
16	Canada	0.929	48,527.00
17	United States	0.926	63,826.00
18	Austria	0.919	56,197.00
19	Israel	0.919	40,187.00
20	Japan	0.919	42,932.00
21	Liechtenstein	0.917	131,032.00
22	Slovenia	0.917	38,080.00
23	Korea (Republic of)	0.916	43,044.00
24	Luxembourg	0.916	72,712.00
25	Spain	0.904	40,975.00
26	France	0.901	47,173.00
27	Czechia	0.9	38,109.00
28	Malta	0.895	39,555.00
29	Estonia	0.892	36,019.00
30	Italy	0.892	42,776.00
31	United Arab Emirates	0.89	67,462.00
32	Greece	0.888	30,155.00
33	Cyprus	0.887	38,207.00
34	Lithuania	0.882	35,799.00
35	Poland	0.88	31,623.00
36	Andorra	0.868	56,000.00
37	Latvia	0.866	30,282.00
38	Portugal	0.864	33,967.00
39	Slovakia	0.86	32,113.00
40	Hungary	0.854	31,329.00
41	Saudi Arabia	0.854	47,495.00
42	Bahrain	0.852	42,522.00
43	Chile	0.851	23,261.00
44	Croatia	0.85	28,070.00
45	Qatar	0.848	92,418.00
46	Argentina	0.845	21,190.00
47	Brunei Darussalam	0.838	63,965.00
48	Montenegro	0.829	21,399.00
49	Romania	0.828	29,497.00
50	Palau	0.826	19,317.00
51	Kazakhstan	0.825	22,857.00
52	Russian Federation	0.824	26,157.00
53	Belarus	0.823	18,546.00
54	Turkey	0.82	27,701.00
55	Uruguay	0.817	20,064.00
56	Bulgaria	0.816	23,325.00
57	Panama	0.815	29,558.00
58	Bahamas	0.814	33,747.00
59	Barbados	0.814	14,936.00
60	Oman	0.813	25,944.00
61	Georgia	0.812	14,429.00
62	Costa Rica	0.81	18,486.00
63	Malaysia	0.81	27,534.00
64	Kuwait	0.806	58,590.00
65	Serbia	0.806	17,192.00
66	Mauritius	0.804	25,266.00
67	Seychelles	0.796	26,903.00
68	Trinidad and Tobago	0.796	26,231.00
69	Albania	0.795	13,998.00
70	Cuba	0.783	8,621.00
71	Iran	0.783	12,447.00
72	Sri Lanka	0.782	12,707.00
73	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.78	14,872.00
74	Grenada	0.779	15,641.00
75	Mexico	0.779	19,160.00
76	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.779	25,038.00
77	Ukraine	0.779	13,216.00
78	Antigua and Barbuda	0.778	20,895.00
79	Peru	0.777	12,252.00
80	Thailand	0.777	17,781.00
81	Armenia	0.776	13,894.00
82	North Macedonia	0.774	15,865.00
83	Colombia	0.767	14,257.00
84	Brazil	0.765	14,263.00
85	China	0.761	16,057.00
86	Ecuador	0.759	11,044.00
87	Saint Lucia	0.759	14,616.00
88	Azerbaijan	0.756	13,784.00
89	Dominican Republic	0.756	17,591.00
90	Moldova	0.75	13,664.00
91	Algeria	0.748	11,174.00
92	Lebanon	0.744	14,655.00
93	Fiji	0.743	13,009.00
94	Dominica	0.742	11,884.00
95	Maldives	0.74	17,417.00
96	Tunisia	0.74	10,414.00
97	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.738	12,378.00
98	Suriname	0.738	14,324.00
99	Mongolia	0.737	10,839.00
100	Botswana	0.735	16,437.00
101	Jamaica	0.734	9,319.00
102	Jordan	0.729	9,858.00
103	Tonga	0.728	12,224.00
104	Libya	0.725	6,365.00
105	Uzbekistan	0.724	15,688.00
106	Bolivia	0.72	7,142.00
107	Indonesia	0.718	8,554.00
108	Philippines	0.718	11,459.00
109	Belize	0.718	9,778.00
110	Samoa	0.716	6,382.00
111	Turkmenistan	0.715	6,309.00
112	Venezuela	0.711	7,045.00
113	South Africa	0.709	12,129.00
114	Palestine	0.708	6,417.00
115	Egypt	0.707	11,466.00
116	Marshall Islands	0.704	5,039.00
117	Viet Nam	0.704	7,433.00
118	Gabon	0.703	13,930.00
119	Kyrgyzstan	0.697	4,864.00
120	Morocco	0.686	7,368.00
121	Guyana	0.682	9,455.00
122	Iraq	0.674	10,801.00
123	El Salvador	0.673	8,359.00
124	Tajikistan	0.668	3,954.00
125	Cabo Verde	0.665	7,019.00
126	Guatemala	0.663	8,494.00
127	Nicaragua	0.66	5,284.00
128	Bhutan	0.654	10,746.00
129	Namibia	0.646	9,357.00
130	India	0.645	6,681.00
131	Honduras	0.645	6,681.00
132	Bangladesh	0.632	4,976.00
133	Kiribati	0.63	4,260.00
134	Sao Tome and Principe	0.625	3,952.00
135	Micronesia	0.62	3,983.00
136	Lao People’s Democratic Republic	0.613	7,413.00
137	Eswatini	0.611	7,919.00
138	Ghana	0.611	5,269.00
139	Vanuatu	0.609	3,105.00
140	Timor-Leste	0.606	4,440.00
141	Nepal	0.602	3,457.00
142	Kenya	0.601	4,244.00
143	Cambodia	0.594	4,246.00
144	Cambodia	0.592	13,944.00
145	Zambia	0.584	3,326.00
146	Myanmar	0.583	4,961.00
147	Angola	0.581	6,104.00
148	Congo	0.574	2,879.00
149	Zimbabwe	0.571	2,666.00
150	Solomon Islands	0.567	2,253.00
151	Syrian Arab Republic	0.567	3,613.00
152	Cameroon	0.563	3,581.00
153	Pakistan	0.557	5,005.00
154	Papua New Guinea	0.555	4,301.00
155	Comoros	0.554	3,099.00
156	Mauritania	0.546	5,135.00
157	Benin	0.545	3,254.00
158	Uganda	0.544	2,123.00
159	Rwanda	0.543	2,155.00
160	Nigeria	0.539	4,910.00
161	Côte d’Ivoire	0.538	5,069.00
162	Tanzania	0.529	2,600.00
163	Madagascar	0.528	1,596.00
164	Lesotho	0.527	3,151.00
165	Djibouti	0.524	5,689.00
166	Togo	0.515	1,602.00
167	Senegal	0.512	3,309.00
168	Afghanistan	0.511	2,229.00
169	Haiti	0.51	1,709.00
170	Sudan	0.51	3,829.00
171	Gambia	0.496	2,168.00
172	Ethiopia	0.485	2,207.00
173	Malawi	0.483	1,035.00
174	Congo (Democratic Republic of the)	0.48	1,063.00
175	Guinea-Bissau	0.48	1,996.00
176	Liberia	0.48	1,258.00
177	Guinea	0.477	2,405.00
178	Yemen	0.47	1,594.00
179	Eritrea	0.459	2,793.00
180	Mozambique	0.456	1,250.00
181	Burkina Faso	0.452	2,133.00
182	Sierra Leone	0.452	1,668.00
183	Mali	0.434	2,269.00
184	Burundi	0.433	754.00
185	South Sudan	0.433	2,003.00
186	Chad	0.398	1,555.00
187	Central African Republic	0.397	993.00
189	Niger	0.394	1,201.00