How many advanced economies are there in the world? There seem to be many answers to this question, and there are different opinions, for example: some media reports say 24, some media claim 31, and some media give values of 34, 37, and even claim that it has risen to 43.
The reason for the emergence of so many different answers is that so far there is still no authoritative body that "gives specific granular criteria for measuring developed countries". The ambiguity of concepts and judgment criteria gives us more room for imagination and free room for discussion.
Take the IMF as an example, how many developed countries does it identify?
In the new report, the number of advanced economies given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) climbed to 41. Among them, a total of 37 are classified as "countries" and 4 are characterized as "regions", namely: Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.
and Puerto Rico, a free state (autonomous region) of the United States, located in the eastern part of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, with a population of around 3.66 million. Residents of Puerto Rico do not participate in the election of the President of the United States, but have the right to elect a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives.
Among the 37 developed countries, in addition to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Malta, San Marino and other foreign countries that were previously "promoted", the new members in this report are "Iceland and Andorra", all of which are European countries, with small populations and single industries.
Among them, Iceland has a population of less than 380,000, and although its per capita GDP is as high as 74,000 US dollars, it is among the highest in the world. However, the national economy is mainly dependent on finance, business services, tourism, fisheries, fish processing, energy and energy-based aluminum smelting.
In recent years, Iceland's pharmaceutical industry has developed rapidly, and the export of computer software is also an important highlight. But on the whole, it does not match the traditional textbook that developed countries usually have a "very high level of industrialization" and do not occupy the top of the global industrial field.
There is also Andorra, located between Spain and France, in the middle of the Pyrenees, with a population of only 80,000 and a per capita GDP of about $42,000.
In addition to tourism and finance, Andorra also has only smaller textiles, wood, food processing, cigarette manufacturing, etc., and the industrial level is not as good as Iceland. The national economic sector is relatively single, and the industrial level is relatively underdeveloped.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to have a higher level of industrial development
Compared with Andorra and Iceland mentioned above, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to have a higher level of industrial development. Among them, the UAE has introduced and developed emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, robotics, electronic computers, aerospace, defense, new energy, new materials, and health technology.
The UAE's "non-oil and gas industry" has contributed as much as 77% of GDP, and it is no longer the sole power of oil and gas. Whether in areas such as food, renewable energy, biomedicine, or smart cities, the UAE is no worse than some micro-developed countries.
Then there's Saudi Arabia, whose per capita GDP and the UAE have long reached the level of developed countries. In terms of industry, Saudi Arabia has become an important producer and supplier of "hydrogen fuel" in the world, and has filed far more international PCT patent applications in the energy field than most micro-small developed economies.
In addition, Saudi Arabia occupies a higher "supply chain position" in aerospace, biomedicine, computer, new energy equipment manufacturing and other fields than Andorra and Iceland. However, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have never been recognized as developed countries, and this vague standard is embarrassing.
Finally, the list of 37 developed countries recognized by the IMF is shared
In no particular order, Iceland, Andorra, Malta, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, San Marino, Slovenia, Snowvak, Denmark, Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Singapore.
and Ireland, Belgium, Israel, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Portugal, Canada, France, Japan, Czech Republic, Sweden, Austria, South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, United States. This article is written by Nansheng, please do not reprint or plagiarize without authorization!