Classification of countries by the level of economic development, by population, by the form of government. Criteria and systems for the classification of countries. Types of countries by level of socio-economic development Countries by level of socio-economic development

Country typology- identification of groups of countries with a similar type and level of socio-economic development. The type of country is formed objectively, it is a relatively stable complex of its inherent features of development, which characterizes its role and place in the world community at this stage of world history. Determining the type of state means attributing it to one or another socio-economic category.

To highlight the types of countries, the indicator is gross domestic product(GDP) - the cost of all final products of material production and non-production sphere, produced in the territory of a given country for one year per capita. The criteria for identifying types of countries are the level of economic development, the country's share in world production, the structure of the economy, and the degree of participation in the MGRT.

The UN has now adopted two country classifications n. V the first all countries in the world are divided into three type - 1) economically highly developed countries; 2) developing countries; 3) countries with economies in transition (from planned to market). At the same time, the third type actually includes the former socialist countries, which are carrying out economic transformations to build a market economy.

According to second UN classifications highlight two large groups of countries: 1) economically developed countries and 2) developing countries. With such a division, extremely different states are united into one group of countries. Therefore, within each type of country, smaller groups are distinguished - subtypes.

TO economically developed to the UN countries about 60 states: all of Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel. These countries, as a rule, are characterized by a high level of economic development, a predominance of manufacturing and service industries in GDP, and a high standard of living of the population. But this group also includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Czech Republic, etc. Due to heterogeneity, economically developed countries are divided into several subtypes:

Economically highly developed countries:

a) main countries - USA, Japan, France, Italy, Great Britain. They provide more than 50% of the production of all industrial and more than 25% of agricultural products in the world. Major countries and Canada are often referred to as the “G7 countries”. (In 1997, Russia was admitted to the G7, which became the G8.)

b) economically highly developed European countries - Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Scandinavian countries, etc. These countries are characterized by political stability, high living standards of the population, high GDP and the highest per capita export and import rates. Unlike the main countries, they have a much narrower specialization in the international division of labor. Their economy is heavily dependent on income from banking, tourism, intermediary trade, etc .;

c) countries "Resettlement capitalism" - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa - the former colonies of Great Britain - and the state of Israel, formed in 1948 by the decision of the UN General Assembly. A characteristic feature of these countries (except Israel) is the preservation of international specialization in the export of raw materials and agricultural products. Unlike developing countries, this agrarian and raw material specialization is based on high labor productivity and is combined with a developed domestic economy.

Countries with an average level of development:

a) middle-developed countries Europe: Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland. In terms of the level of development of the productive forces, they are somewhat lagging behind modern world technical progress. Spain and Portugal in the past were the largest colonial empires, played a large role in world history. But the loss of the colonies led to the loss of political influence and the weakening of the economy, which until then was held by the wealth of the colonies;

b) countries with economies in transition - CIS countries, Eastern European countries, China. They carry out reforms aimed at the development of market relations in the economy instead of central planning. This subgroup of countries emerged in the 1990s due to the collapse of the world socialist system. The subgroup includes countries that differ significantly from each other.

TO developing countries the UN classification includes all other countries of the world. Almost all of them are located in Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are home to more than 3/4 of the world's population, they occupy more than 1/2 of the area. Inclusion in the two-term typology of the former socialist countries is rather difficult. The level of their socio-economic development is different: most countries, for example, Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, Russia, Ukraine, are economically developed, but other countries occupy an intermediate position between developed and developing ones.

According to various criteria, China can also be classified as a developed and a developing country. Developing countries are characterized by an export orientation of their economies, which makes the national economies of countries dependent on the world market; diversified economy; special territorial structure of the economy, scientific and technological dependence on developed countries, sharp social contrasts. Developing countries are very diverse. There are several approaches to subtyping within this group of countries. The place of any country in the typology is not constant and can change over time.

Problems of identifying developed and developing countries.

The border between developed and developing countries is usually determined by UN experts according to the criterion in $ 6,000 per capita per year in the country. However, this indicator does not always allow for an objective classification of countries. Some states that are classified as developing according to the UN classification, in terms of a number of indicators (GDP per capita, the level of development of advanced high-tech industries) have come close to economically developed countries or have already surpassed them.

So, in 1997 Singapore, Taiwan and The Republic of Korea were officially transferred from the group of developing countries to the group of developed ones. But at the same time, other indicators of the socio-economic and political development of these countries - the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy, dependence on foreign capital - still remain more characteristic of developing countries. Russia however, with this classification, having an indicator of per capita GDP of about $ 2,500 per year, formally falls into the group of developing countries.

Given such difficulties with the classification of countries in the world by GDP, they are now trying to identify other, more objective criteria for determining the level of socio-economic development of countries.

For example, on the basis of the average life expectancy, the level of education, the real value of the average income of the population, human development index (HDI). Applying this criterion, UN experts divide the countries of the world into three groups - with high, medium and low HDI. Then the top ten most developed countries in the world turn out to be different than when accounting for GDP per capita per year, and Russia and the CIS countries fall into the second group, while Russia is in 67th place between Suriname and Brazil.

Lesson summary "The main types of countries in the modern world".

Countries differ among themselves not only in geographic location, size of territory, forms of government, but also in levels of socio-economic development. Our world is extremely diverse, and in order to group countries according to this criterion, many factors must be taken into account. These include: the country's economic potential, the country's share in world production, the structure of the economy, the degree of its involvement in the international, territorial, demographic indicators, etc.

The most common quantitative indicators reflecting the level of socio-economic development:

• gross domestic product (GDP) - the total value of all goods produced in the territory of a given country for the year (in monetary terms);
• gross national product (GNP) is the GDP minus the profits of foreign companies in a given country, but with the addition of the profits earned by the citizens of the country abroad.

In order to be able to compare these indicators for different countries, data on GDP GNP are recorded in a single monetary measure - dollars. Important indicators are GDP and GNP per capita, which indicate the level of development of countries. with the highest and lowest rates of GDP per capita are shown in the table.

For a long time, the development of society was measured by economic indicators and, above all, by per capita income; at the same time, the main path of development of the country's economy was assumed to be the rapid growth of industry. At present, the factors of social development are more and more taken into account:

• availability of education and medical care,
• the level of development of science and transport,
• the state of the environment, etc.

UN international organizations have calculated an integral indicator of human development, which can be used to compare and contrast the level and quality of life of the population. This indicator (index) includes many elements, but the main ones are:

• medium;
• literacy and education levels;
• standard of living (taking into account GDP per capita and purchasing power of the population).

For example: the average life expectancy in Afghanistan is 42 years, in Japan - 82; literacy rate at - 12%, at about 100%; GDP per capita in Zaire is $ 220 and in Denmark $ 33,300.

Considering many indicators, the statistical editions of the UN specialized organizations adhere to the classification according to which the countries of the world are subdivided into market economies and. However, due to the rapidly changing socio-political situation in the world, it is increasingly difficult to draw a clear line between them. We offer one of the classifications adopted by the UN.

Economically developed countries. This group includes foreign states, and, the United States, (recently, Turkey has been increasingly referred to).

Countries "" - USA, Japan, Canada - have high economic potential and influence on the political and economic life of the planet.

Highly developed small countries of Europe:, etc. They are characterized by high GDP per capita, stability, the leading role in the economy is played by the service sector.

Mid-developed countries:,. They lag behind developed countries in terms of the size and structure of GDP, as well as the level of income of the population.

Countries of immigration capitalism. This - South Africa, Canada - practically did not know feudalism and are distinguished by the originality of economic development.

Post-socialist countries. Developing in the past along the socialist path, these countries are on a collective sector, centralized planning of the economy and priority development of basic industries.

The post-socialist countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Independent States stand out in a special group.

CAR, Paraguay, Nepal, Bhutan). Moreover, very often geographic does not affect the level of its socio-economic development. Some states occupy an entire continent (), while others are located on a small island or group of islands (, etc.).

These are the most developed countries in the world in terms of their economic, scientific and technical potential. They differ from each other in the peculiarities of their development and economic power, but all of them are united by a very high level of development and the role they play in.

This group of countries includes six states from the famous "big seven". Among them, the United States ranks first in terms of economic potential.

These countries have reached a high level of development, but each of them, in contrast to the main capitalist countries, has a much narrower specialization in the world economy. At the same time, they send up to half of their products to the external market. In the economies of these states, a large share of the non-production sphere (banking, the provision of various kinds of services, the tourism business, etc.).

1.3. Countries of "resettlement capitalism": Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel.

The first four countries are former colonies of Great Britain. Capitalist relations arose in them as a result of the economic activities of immigrants from Europe. But unlike the United States, which at one time was also a resettlement colony, their development had some peculiarities.

Despite the high level of development, these states retain their agrarian and raw material specialization, which took shape in their colonial period. But such specialization in the international division of labor differs significantly from such specialization in developing countries, since it is combined with a highly developed domestic economy.

Israel is a small state formed at the expense of immigrants after the Second World War in Palestine (which was after the First World War under the mandate of the League of Nations under the control of Great Britain).

Canada is included in the "big seven" economically highly developed countries, but according to the type and characteristics of the development of its economy, it belongs to this group.

The second group in this typology includes:

2. Countries with an average level of development of capitalism... There are few such countries. They differ from the states included in the first group both in history and in the level of their socio-economic development. Among them, subtypes can also be distinguished:

2.1. Country that achieved political independence and average economic development under the dominance of the capitalist system: Ireland.

The current level of economic development and political independence were achieved at the cost of an extremely difficult national struggle against imperialism. Until recently, Finland also belonged to this subtype. However, at present this country is included in the group of "Economically highly developed countries".

In the past, these states have played an important role in world history. Spain and Portugal created huge colonial empires during the era of feudalism, but later lost all their possessions.

Despite the well-known successes in the development of industry and the service sector, in terms of the level of development, these countries generally lag behind the economically highly developed states.

The third group includes:

3. Economically less developed countries(developing countries).

This is the largest and most diverse group of countries. For the most part, these are former colonial and dependent countries, which, having received political independence, fell into economic dependence on the countries that were previously their metropolises.

There are many things that unite the countries of this group, including development problems, as well as internal and external difficulties associated with a low level of economic and social development, lack of financial resources, lack of experience in running a capitalist commodity economy, lack of qualified personnel, strong economic dependence, huge external debt, etc. The situation is aggravated by civil wars and interethnic conflicts. In the international division of labor, they occupy far from the best positions, being mainly suppliers of raw materials and agricultural products to economically developed countries.

In addition, in all countries of this type, due to the rapid population growth, the social situation of large masses of residents is deteriorating, an excess of labor resources is manifested, the demographic, food and others are especially acute.

But despite the common features, the countries of this group are very different from each other (and there are only about 150 of them). Therefore, the following subtypes are distinguished:

3.2.2. Countries of large-scale development of capitalism:
, Chile, Iran, Iraq, (developed with a massive invasion of foreign capital associated with the export exploitation of large mineral deposits on the territory of these states).

Note that the states of the world included in the first and second groups of the typology presented above are the industrially developed countries of the world. All developing states were included in the third group.

This typology was created when the world was bipolar (divided into capitalist and socialist), and characterized only the non-socialist countries of the world.

Now, when the world from bipolar turns into unipolar, new typologies of the countries of the world are created or the old ones are supplemented and modified (like the typology of MSU scientists presented to readers).

Created, as noted earlier, and other typologies. As a generalizing, synthetic indicator, they often use the indicator of gross domestic or national product (GDP or GNP) per capita. Such is, for example, the well-known typological classification of developing countries and territories (authors: B.M. Bolotin, V.L.Sheinis), which distinguishes "echelons" (upper, intermediate and lower) and seven groups of countries (from countries of medium-developed capitalism to the least developed ).

Scientists of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University (A.S. Fetisov, B.C. Tikunov) have developed a slightly different approach to the classification of non-socialist countries of the world - an evaluative-typological one. They performed a multivariate statistical analysis of data for 120 countries based on many indicators reflecting the level of socio-economic and political development of society. They identified seven groups of countries with a level of development from very high (USA, Canada, Sweden, Japan) to very low (Somalia, Ethiopia, Chad, Niger, Mali, Afghanistan, Haiti and others).

The famous scientist-geographer Ya.G. Mashbits distinguished the types of countries in the "developing world" based on industrialization trends. The first group in his classification included countries where large and relatively diverse industrial production is developed (Mexico, India, etc.); to the second - industrial countries of medium potential with significant development of raw materials and processing industries (Venezuela, Peru, Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, etc.); to the third - small states and territories using the benefits of their economic and geographical location (Singapore, Panama, Bahamas, etc.); to the fourth - oil exporting countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.). And the fifth group included the least industrialized countries with limited development prospects (i.e. the least developed countries: Haiti, Mali, Chad, Mozambique, Nepal, Bhutan, Somalia, etc.).

In some economic and geographical typologies among the countries of the developing world distinguish a group of "newly industrialized countries" (NIS). Most often they include Singapore, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea. In recent years, this group has been added to the "NIS of the second wave" - ​​Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and some other countries. The economies of these countries are characterized by high rates of industrialization, export orientation of industrial production (especially products of knowledge-intensive industries), their active participation in the international division of labor.

Attempts at typological differentiation of the countries of the world were made by geographers, economists, and other specialists. You will learn more about the characteristics of various typologies of states in further courses.

The division of the world economy into spheres of economic activity and the definition of the main economic relationships between them allow not only to analyze the development trends of individual countries, but also to compare them with each other. However, there are about 200 countries in the world as a whole, which are very different in terms of economic development. And knowledge of classifications is extremely important for mutual study and exchange of experience in economic development.

As economically developed countries, the International Monetary Fund distinguishes states: 1. Countries that qualify the World Bank and the IMF as countries with developed economies in the late XX - early XXI centuries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece , Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland,.

2. The more complete group of developed countries also includes Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Vatican, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino.

Among the main features of developed countries, it is advisable to highlight the following:

5. The economies of developed countries are characterized by openness to the world economy and a liberal organization of the foreign trade regime. Leadership in world production determines their leading role in world trade, international capital movement, international monetary and settlement relations. In the field of international labor migration, developed countries act as the host country.

Countries with economies in transition

The countries with economies in transition usually include the 28 states of Central and Eastern Europe and the former USSR, moving from centrally planned to market economies, as well as, in some cases, Mongolia, China and Vietnam. Russia (2% of world GDP and 1% of exports) is considered among the countries with economies in transition due to its political importance. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe that were once part of the socialist camp, as well as the countries of the former USSR, which are called the countries of the former "ruble zone", stand out as a separate group.

Countries with economies in transition include:

1. Former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, successors of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro;

2. Former Soviet republics - now the CIS countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine;

3. Former Baltic republics: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

The classification is especially difficult, since the construction of capitalism, and therefore market relations, in the PRC is under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). China's economy is a symbiosis of a planned socialist economy and free enterprise. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) classifies China, like India, as an emerging Asian country.

For the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and some Balkan countries, an initially higher level of socio-economic development is characteristic; radical and successful implementation of reforms (“velvet revolutions”); expressed desire to join the EU. The outsiders in this group are Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. The leaders are the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

The former Soviet republics, with the exception of the Baltic states, have been united in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since 1993. The collapse of the USSR led to the rupture of economic ties that had been developing for decades between enterprises of the former republics. The one-time abolition of state pricing (in the conditions of a shortage of goods and services), the spontaneous privatization of the largest export-oriented state-owned enterprises, the introduction of a parallel currency (US dollar) and the liberalization of foreign trade activities led to a sharp drop in production. GDP in Russia has decreased by almost 2 times. Hyperinflation reached 2000% or more per year.

There was a sharp drop in the exchange rate of the national currency, a deficit in the state budget, a sharp stratification of the population with the absolute impoverishment of its bulk. An oligarchic version of capitalism was formed without the creation of a middle class. Loans from the IMF and other international organizations were used to “patch holes” in the state budget and were plundered uncontrollably. Financial stabilization through budgetary restrictions and policy of restriction or contraction of the money supply (rise in interest rates) gradually reduced inflation, but had serious social losses (unemployment, growth in mortality, street children, etc.). The experience of "shock therapy" has shown that the introduction of private property and market relations in itself is not a guarantee of the creation of an effective economy.

If we talk about the term "transitional economy", then it is used to characterize the transformation of the economy of socialist countries into a market economy. The transition to the market required a number of significant transformations, which include:

1) denationalization of the economy, requiring privatization and stimulation of the development of non-state enterprises;

2) development of non-state forms of ownership, including private ownership of the means of production; 3) the formation of the consumer market and its saturation with goods.

The first reform programs consisted of sets of stabilization measures and privatization. Monetary and fiscal restrictions were supposed to bring down inflation and restore financial equilibrium, and the liberalization of foreign relations was to bring the necessary competition to the domestic market.

The economic and social costs of the transition were higher than expected. Prolonged economic downturn, high unemployment, the decline of the social security system, deepening income differentiation and declining welfare of the population were the first results of the reforms.

Reform practice in different countries can be reduced to two main alternative paths:

1) the way of rapid radical reforms ("shock therapy"), taken as a basis in many countries, including Russia. The strategy was historically formed back in the 1980s by the IMF for debtor countries. Its features were the landslide liberalization of prices, incomes and economic activity. Macroeconomic stabilization was achieved due to the contraction of the money supply and huge inflation as a result.

Urgent systemic transformations included privatization. In foreign economic activity, the goal was to involve the national economy in the world economy. The results of "shock therapy" are negative rather than positive;

2) the way of gradual evolutionary transformation of the economy, taken as a basis in China.

Since the mid-1990s and with the beginning of the stage of recovery, the countries with economies in transition have shown generally good indicators of economic development and market economy. GDP indicators gradually went up. However, the unemployment rate remains high so far. Taking into account the unequal starting conditions of different times of the beginning of the transformations, their results turned out to be different. The greatest successes were achieved by Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Slovakia.

In many countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the share of public spending in GDP is high: at least 30-50%. In the process of market reforms, the standard of living of the population has decreased and inequality in the distribution of income has increased: about 1/5 of the population was able to raise the standard of living, and about 30% became poor. The former Soviet republics, which are now united in the CIS, can be distinguished into one group. Their economies are showing different rates of market transformation.

Developing countries

Developing countries - 132 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, characterized by low and middle income. Due to the wide variety of developing countries in the international economy, it is customary to classify them both by geography and by various analytical criteria.

There are certain grounds for distinguishing yesterday's dependent and colonial countries, lagging behind in their economic and social development and conventionally united by the term "developing", into a special group of states. 80% of the world's population lives in these countries, and the fate of this region will always significantly influence world processes.

The most important criteria for the selection of developing countries is a special place in the system of economic and political ties, the level of economic development and specific features of reproduction and features of the socio-economic structure.

The first and most significant feature of developing countries is their place in the world economy and politics. Today they are part of the world capitalist system and are more or less subject to the prevailing economic laws and world economic trends. Remaining a link in the world economy, these countries continue to have a tendency to deepen their economic and political dependence on the economies of developed countries.

Developing countries are still major suppliers of raw materials and fuels to the world market, despite the fact that the share of developing countries in Western countries' fuel imports has slightly decreased in recent years. As suppliers of raw materials, they depend on imports of finished products; therefore, today the share of developing countries in world exports is only about 30%, including 21.4% in the supply of industrial products.

The economy of this group of countries is highly dependent on TNCs, as well as financial dependence. TNCs with the most advanced technology do not agree to transfer it when creating joint ventures in developing countries, preferring to locate their branches there. At least 1/4 of foreign investments of TNCs are concentrated in developing countries. Private capital has now become a major contributor to foreign flows to developing countries. Foreign direct investment today accounts for more than half of all funds received from private sources.

The level of economic development of developing countries can be characterized as economic backwardness from the most developed part of the world. The low level of development of the productive forces, the backwardness of the technical equipment of industry, agriculture and social infrastructure are the main features of the economy of these countries as a whole. The most characteristic sign of backwardness is the agrarian profile of the economy and the share of the population employed in agriculture. The industrial and agricultural profile of the economy is not typical for developing countries. It developed only in the most developed countries of Latin America and several Asian states. In the overwhelming majority of countries, agricultural employment is still 2.5 times, and sometimes 10 times higher than industrial. In this respect, many oil-producing countries are closer to developing countries than to developed ones.

Features of the socio-economic structure of developing countries are associated with a multi-structured economy. Developing countries are characterized by a significant range of forms of production: from patriarchal communal and small-scale commodity to monopolistic and cooperative. Economic ties between structures are limited. Styles are characterized by their own system of values ​​and the way of life of the population. The patriarchal way of life is characteristic of agriculture. The private capitalist structure includes various forms of ownership and exists in trade and services.

The emergence of the capitalist system has its own characteristics here. Firstly, it is often associated with the export of capital from more developed countries, and in an unprepared economy is "enclave" in nature.

Secondly, the capitalist system, developing as a dependent one, cannot eliminate the multi-structured system and even leads to its expansion. Thirdly, there is no consistent development of one form of ownership from another. For example, monopoly property, most often represented by branches of TNCs, is not a product of the development of joint-stock ownership, etc.

The social structure of society reflects the diversity of the economy. The communal type dominates in social relations, the civil society is just being formed. Developing countries are characterized by poverty, overpopulation, and high unemployment.

The economic role of the state in developing countries is very large and, along with traditional functions, includes: the exercise of national sovereignty over natural resources; control over foreign financial assistance in order to use it for the implementation of projects provided for in the programs of social and economic development of the state; agrarian transformations associated with an increase in agricultural production, the creation of cooperatives, etc .; training of national personnel.

There is a classification of developing countries depending on the level of economic development, measured by the indicator of GDP per capita:

1) countries with high per capita incomes, comparable to those in developed countries (Brunei, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore);

2) countries with average GDP per capita (Libya, Uruguay, Tunisia, etc.);

3) poor countries of the world. This group includes most of the countries of tropical Africa, the countries of South Asia and Oceania, and a number of countries in Latin America.

Another classification of developing countries is associated with the level of development of capitalism as an economic structure. From this point of view, the following groups of developing countries can be distinguished:

1) these are states where state, foreign and local capital prevails. The economic activity of the state is state capitalist in content. In these countries, the involvement of foreign capital in the local is high. These countries include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, as well as a number of small states in the Asia-Pacific region.

2) the second group of states is the largest. Their peculiarity is that here capitalism is represented by "enclaves", and sometimes very isolated. This group includes countries such as India, Pakistan, the countries of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, North Africa, several countries of Southeast Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia).

3) the third group - the least developed countries of the world, about 30 countries with a population of about 15% of the population of the developing world. The capitalist structure exists in them in the form of fragments. These capitalist "enclaves" are mainly represented by foreign capital. 2/3 of the least developed countries are in Africa. In the pre-capitalist sector, natural ties prevail. Almost all spheres of employment of the population are traditional ways. The only driving force behind development in most of them is the state. The share of manufacturing in GDP is no more than 10%, GDP per capita is no more than $ 300, and the literacy rate is no more than 20% of the adult population. These countries have little chance of improving their position on their own, relying only on internal forces.

Source - World economy: textbook / EG Guzhva, MI Lesnaya, AV Kondrat'ev, AN Egorov; SPbGASU. - SPb., 2009 .-- 116 p.

Types of Eurasian countries by the level of socio-economic development. Eurasia is one of the most economically developed continents.

On the territory of modern states - Italy, Greece, Iraq, China - powerful agrarian civilizations appeared several thousand years ago. In the course of historical development Europe economically significantly ahead of other regions of the continent: most European countries have a high level of economic development... The basis of their economy is the service sector, and the industry is based on industries using the most advanced production technologies. Leading industries are chemical, mechanical engineering, energy. Agriculture, which makes extensive use of modern scientific achievements, is distinguished by a high level of labor productivity. Close cooperation between science and industry plays a decisive role in the economies of European countries and allows them to act on the world market as the largest exporters of high technology products. Consequently, most European countries are characterized by a high level of income and quality of life... In terms of the size of their economies and the sectoral structure of the economy, all European countries can be divided into several groups.

The first group is made up of the G7 countries. These are the most industrially developed and powerful countries in the world: Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy.

Currently, the solution to key issues of world economic development is gradually moving from the G7 to the G20. It includes not only the largest and highly economically developed countries (USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Japan), but also other large developed and developing countries representing all regions of the world (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey), as well as the EU.

The second group includes countries with less powerful and more specialized economies, are major exporters of certain types of products(Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, etc.).

Another group - "microstates"(Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, Vatican, San Marino, Malta). Small in size and population, they have a narrow specialization in the production of certain types of products and the provision of services - banking, tourism, trade.

Quite numerous group countries with an average level of socio-economic development... As a rule, these are the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe - Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc. For a long time they were politically unstable, and over the past decades, active economic reforms were carried out in them.

Economic development of countries Asia not so uniform. There are several groups of countries with different economic structures.

A special position is occupied by Japan, together with the USA, Canada and leading European countries included in the group of the most economically developed countries in the world.

The group of newly industrialized countries, or "Asian tigers", form the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia. Foreign capital, the use of modern technologies and cheap labor have allowed them to achieve great economic success in a short time. The industry of these countries produces ferrous metals, chemicals, household electrical appliances, light industry products and is mainly export-oriented. International tourism is actively developing, especially in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Quite a high level of economic development group oil-producing countries of the Middle East(Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia). Their economy is based on income from oil exports, which allows them to develop other sectors of the economy.

The sizes of their economies stand out the world's largest manufacturers of many types of products - India and China, which is also distinguished by high rates of economic development. However, in these countries the most modern and advanced technologies coexist with backward economic structures, and the standard of living of the two billion population is very low.

Countries of Central and South Asia, mainly agricultural (Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.), are included in the group of the least economically developed countries in the world.

Placement of branches of the economy in Eurasia has features. Processing industry is concentrated mainly in the most economically developed countries of Europe. High concentration of production- in the largest cities and agglomerations, on the coasts. Many industries are gradually moving from Western Europe to the east - to the countries of Eastern Europe and Asia with cheaper labor. A new European axis of development is being formed instead of the one that previously stretched from north to south from Great Britain to northern Italy.

Explain the position of the old axis of industrial development in Europe. What position will the axis occupy in the foreseeable future? Substantiate your assumption.

Main part of products mining, heavy (ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy) and easy industry is produced in Russia and the developing countries of Asia: China, India, Iran, Turkey, and others. Their main industrial regions were formed in places of mining and in coastal regions.

Concentration of industry on the coasts - the emergence port and industrial complexes- typical for Eurasia as a whole. In Europe and Japan, this is due to the high dependence on the export of fuel and raw materials: the largest petrochemical and metallurgical enterprises of Italy, France, Great Britain are located on the coasts, operating mainly on imported raw materials. In developing countries - the orientation of production to export products (Fig. 78).

In economically developed countries in Europe, the leading industry Agriculture is highly productive livestock, and crop production takes a subordinate position. The exception is the countries of Southern Europe, the natural conditions of which are favorable for subtropical agriculture. Agriculture of all Asian countries is dominated by crop production. Among them are the world leaders in the production of rice, cotton, tea and other crops. At the same time, the world's largest livestock of domestic animals is concentrated in the countries of Asia: India is the world leader in the number of cattle, China - pigs, sheep and poultry. But livestock products are used primarily for local consumption.

Bibliography

1. Geography grade 9 / Textbook for grade 9 institutions of general secondary education with the Russian language of instruction / Edited by N. V. Naumenko / Minsk "Narodnaya Asveta" 2011