The World Bank Group assigns the world’s economies[1] to four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high. The classifications are updated each year on July 1, based on the GNI per capita of the previous calendar year. GNI measures are expressed in United States dollars[2] using conversion factors derived according to the Atlas method, which in its current form was introduced in 1989[3]. The World Bank’s income classification aims to reflect a country’s level of development, drawing on Atlas GNI per capita as a broadly available indicator of economic capacity.
The classification of countries into income categories has evolved significantly over the period since the late 1980s. In 1987, 30% of reporting countries were classified as low-income and 25% as high-income countries. Jumping to 2023, these overall ratios have shifted down to 12% in the low-income category and up to 40% in the high-income category.
The scale and direction of these shifts, however, varies a great deal between world regions. Here are some regional highlights:
- 100% of South Asian countries were classified as low-income countries in 1987, whereas this share has fallen to just 13% in 2023.
- In the Middle East and North Africa there is a higher share of low-income countries in 2023 (10%) than in 1987, when no countries were classified to this category.
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, the share of high-income countries has climbed from 9% in 1987 to 44% in 2023.
- Europe and Central Asia has a slightly lower share of high-income countries in 2023 (69%) than it did in 1987 (71%).
These changing compositions are depicted visually in the diagram below, which shows country classifications by region and over time since 1987.