Third World

[soomak]

In my opinion Thailand is definitely a third world country.

According to GDP PPP (income per person, adjusted to the price levels), Thailand is ranked somewhere in the middle of the list, next to Peru, Algeria, and Jamaica.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita

In terms of other aspects. such as Human rights, Level of Education, Corruption and the rule of Law, I think it will rank higher than most third world countries.

However, it is no where near 1st world countries.

The only aspect where it can be considered a 2nd world country is the infrastructure (roads, airports, and even internet...)

On the other hand - Bangkok, if it was considered a country, would probably be a 2nd world country, since the economic and social development are much higher.

[Richard4849]

I think I would place most urban and semi-urban places in Thailand as solidly second world, with the hinterlands as third (but at the top of the third world heap, in comparison to places like Sudan, etc.).

[canuckamuck]

Here is a quick list of countries to formerly carry the designation of second world. (probably incomplete)

Albania, Armenia, Belarus,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, East Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,

Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, China, North Korea, Lao, Viet Nam.

Notice that this is a political designation, not a standard of living designation. I have never seen the term second world used to describe economic conditions of a country. Although socialism does have a predictable economic outcome when taken to the extreme.

[Soutpeel]

http://en.wikipedia...._worlds_map.svg

Per this map Thailand is 3rd world....

Or if you wish to define it along ecomomic terms..then developing country...

Up to you...

If you scroll down that page you will see the map is out of date- from the cold war.

Thailand is a middle income country- as the OP says anyone who thinks rwanda, sudan et al is like Thailand (as this maps says) obviously has never traveled much.

I believe the current defintion of the likes of Ruwanda/Sudan is "failed countries"...and dont believe Thailand is a "middle income" country either....the proper term from an ecomonic stand point per current definitions is a "developing country"

[Richard4849]

Thailand IS a middle-income country.

Just look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita

Thailand ranks 86 out of 194 nations in terms of per capita GDP.

You can't get much more in the middle than that...it's even a shade over the mid point. In the top 44%.

[SomchaiWirote]

I think that the Human Development Index is more commonly used than the First World, the Second World and the Third World, nowadays.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare.

According to the List of countries by Human Development Index, Thailand ranks 92nd.

That makes it a "medium development" country / developing country.

http://en.wikipedia....velopment_Index

[bermondburi]

Please use Search feature, this has been discussed over and over.

so that means you can't mention it again in a new thread does it ?

[bermondburi]

Indeed Trans they are classed as " Fourth World " and Thailand is still classed as Third World but there are still many levels.

Actually fourth world people are those who are stateless , as in they have been in that place since before a country boundary existed. People such as S. American tribes in the Amazon region or indeed some of the tribes in SE ASisa.

[folium]

Interesting...what's that little "first world" country in northeast South America? And they seem to have Cuba and North Korea in the 2nd World?

Bit of confusion here. The map from Wikipedia is a Cold War era line up.

1st world is NATO/Western allied countries (includes Taiwan, S.Korea & Israel)

2nd world is Soviet/Chinese allied communist countries (hence Cuba, Vietnam, N.Korea)

3rd world is all the rest

1st world country in NE of S.America is French Guiana. As a DOM (overseas department) it is part of France, not a colony (similar to Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mayotte and Reunion)

[folium]

I think that the Human Development Index is more commonly used than the First World, the Second World and the Third World, nowadays.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare.

According to the List of countries by Human Development Index, Thailand ranks 92nd.

That makes it a "medium development" country / developing country.

http://en.wikipedia....velopment_Index

HDI is the usual way of ranking levels of development between countries, but is often seen as a measure of how Scandinavian a county is due to the weighting of the components that might make up how developed a country is. It depends what you think makes a country developed. Is it % of cellphone ownership, wealth, child survival rates, education, life expectancy, individual freedom or a composite blend of several (but then how do you weight them)?

Also HDI is an average. The USA comes 4th in the 2010 index, while the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has a life expectancy that is 2nd worst in the western hemisphere (pipped by Haiti).

Most economists would place Thailand as a mid-table developed nation. If you are interested check out the link below, probably the best thing to come out of Langley:

Thailand Data

The other alternative is to follow Bhutan and go for the GNH (Gross National Happiness);

or even Japan's attempted GNC (Gross National Cool).

[happydaze]

Please use Search feature, this has been discussed over and over.

Remember there are new people like me joining everyday and the last thing I would like to do is go throught every topic to see what been said or not.

[moe666]

its not the water at fault in Bangkok it is the old buildings and there distribution systems that are contaminated also there is no backflow prevention to protect the water source. You drink tap water any where in Thailand at your own peril. Most of the bottled water is treated with reverse osmosis and and UV treatment making it safe to drink.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

its not the water at fault in Bangkok it is the old buildings and there distribution systems that are contaminated also there is no backflow prevention to protect the water source. You drink tap water any where in Thailand at your own peril. Most of the bottled water is treated with reverse osmosis and and UV treatment making it safe to drink.

Yes Thailand is Third World and going backwards with its extreme conservatism.

[Richard4849]

its not the water at fault in Bangkok it is the old buildings and there distribution systems that are contaminated also there is no backflow prevention to protect the water source. You drink tap water any where in Thailand at your own peril. Most of the bottled water is treated with reverse osmosis and and UV treatment making it safe to drink.

Yes Thailand is Third World and going backwards with its extreme conservatism.

In what way? If you were here 30 years ago I don't think you'd be saying that.

[Maccheroncini]

These are out dated definitions that once described political affiliations.

The capitalistic democratic western allies and assorted other industrialized countries were first world. Those aligned with socialism and Russia were second world, and the other countries that had little power were third world. The world has changed, and so have the definitions.

Best answer

[Richb2004v2]

The OP seems to have managed a lot in his 40 odd years. 25 years here as well as living in a several west African countries.

[Richard4849]

The OP seems to have managed a lot in his 40 odd years. 25 years here as well as living in a several west African countries.

Correct. I consider myself very fortunate to have an expanded world view.

[Richb2004v2]

Were you a child soldier in Sierra Leone?

[happyrobert]

Were you a child soldier in Sierra Leone?

[happyrobert]

The OP seems to have managed a lot in his 40 odd years. 25 years here as well as living in a several west African countries.

He has an expanded ego, er, world view, and you and I and all the others are blind.

[Soutpeel]

Were you a child soldier in Sierra Leone?

He was smuggling blood diamonds....

[StreetCowboy]

its not the water at fault in Bangkok it is the old buildings and there distribution systems that are contaminated also there is no backflow prevention to protect the water source. You drink tap water any where in Thailand at your own peril. Most of the bottled water is treated with reverse osmosis and and UV treatment making it safe to drink.

Yes Thailand is Third World and going backwards with its extreme conservatism.

In what way? If you were here 30 years ago I don't think you'd be saying that.

I don't suppose it was going backwards 30 years ago.

It takes a long time to undo 20 years of progress

SC

[phetaroi]

The last technical definition of Thailand I saw was that it is "a rapidly industrializing nation".

But to me, in the way I use the term "third world", yes, still third world.

[kdc1899]

The definition is related to BMI of the country's poor people.

America has the fattest poor people. We are absolutely first world.

I think Thailand is probably 2nd world.

[Richard4849]

Hi, Phetaroi.

Just wondering what countries you consider to be "second world"?

[Naam]

Is Thailand Really a Third World Country?

yes it is and that's one of the reasons i like to live in Thailand :jap:

[Richard4849]

I agree with you there.

I was wondering about Phetaroi's opinion. If home is 1st world and Thailand down to the Congo is classed equally as third, what does he consider to be in the middle, and why? Greece? Argentina?

Really just curious, no agenda mate.

[ExpatJ]

Basically- if you have never traveled in a real third world country (e.g. African countries) and seen what a real third world country looks like, then yes i could see why you would think Thailand is third world. Those of us who have traveled to Africa its quite amusing that there are those who insist that Thailand is 'third world' and at the same level as those third world countries in Africa.

[ExpatJ]

The last technical definition of Thailand I saw was that it is "a rapidly industrializing nation".

But to me, in the way I use the term "third world", yes, still third world.

Glad you clarified that its your own definition of 'third world' and not the standard definition- in which case go for it.

[carmine]

Basically- if you have never traveled in a real third world country (e.g. African countries) and seen what a real third world country looks like, then yes i could see why you would think Thailand is third world. Those of us who have traveled to Africa its quite amusing that there are those who insist that Thailand is 'third world' and at the same level as those third world countries in Africa.

This is very true.

There are ares of the north east that are 3rd world, but, i wonder what a native of the Congo would make of the sky train or the state of the art underground system in Bangkok that makes the northern line in London look 3rd world in comparison.