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The two groups are often defined in terms of their differing levels of wealth, economic development, income inequality, democracy, and political and economic freedom, as defined by freedom indices. The Global North generally correlates with the Western world, while the South largely corresponds with the developing countries and the Eastern world.

Countries of the Global South have been described as newly industrialized or are in the process of industrializing, and are frequently current or former subjects of colonialism. The term as used by governmental and developmental organizations was first introduced as a more open and value-free alternative to " Third World" and similarly potentially "valuing" terms like developing countries. Ĭountries that are developed are considered as Global North countries, while those developing are considered as Global South countries. As such, the terms Global North and Global South do not refer to the cardinal directions north and south as many of the Global South countries are geographically located in the Northern Hemisphere. The Global South forms one side of the divide on other is the Global North (broadly comprising Northern America and Europe, Israel, Japan and South Korea, as well as Australia and New Zealand, according to the UNCTAD). Most of the countries in the Global South are characterized by low-income, dense population, poor infrastructure, and often political or cultural marginalization.

The Global South is a term that broadly comprises countries in the regions of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia (without Israel, Japan, and South Korea), and Oceania (without Australia and New Zealand), according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The concept of Global North and Global South (or North–South divide in a global context) is used to describe a grouping of countries along the lines of socio-economic and political characteristics.

The countries in light blue form the "Global North", the rest are mostly categorized as belonging to the "Global South", with few exceptions under some listings. World map showing country classifications per the IMF and the UN (last updated April 2023).