Is Iran a third world country?

Answer 1

Iran is considered a strong developing country and is a member of the Developing 8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, so it would be considered a third world country under the current understanding of the term.

Iran is among the top 20 richest countries in the world (having the 18th largest GDP in 2010). Iran is fully industrialized, and self-sufficient in most areas of production, such as automobiles, being the 12th largest automobile producer in the world, producing more than 1,000,000 in 2008, and exporting them to many surrounding countries in the Middle East and Asia. Iran also produces military equipment, fighter jets (Azarakhsh and Saegheh), passenger planes (see IrAn-140), consumer goods and appliances, shipbuilding, computer technology, petrochemicals, and refined gasoline. It has the 4th largest oil reserves in the world and has a large refining capacity with is increasing by the day as new oil refineries are completed.

In military terms, Iran has the 7th largest standing army (2,000,000 men and women) and the 5th largest cache of missiles. Iran may have the 5th most powerful army in the world, although such a estimate can be subject to bias of either side.

Iran is one of eight countries to launch satellites into outer space with their own launch vehicle (yes, outer space, see Iranian Space Agency). They aim to have a spacewalk by 2017.

Iran is also one of the leading nations in stem-cell research as of 2011.

Not to mention it has major advancements in nuclear technology.

However, the enemies of Iran (US, Israel, Europe) want to portray Iran as a nation of backward, ignorant savages. However, Iran is a nation with dignity, wealth, and technology.

Answer 2

It depends on how you define your terms.

Most people use the term "First World Country" to refer to a country that has a modern economy and is developed (as opposed to developing). Israel is one of the few post-colonial countries that has become a developed country. South Korea is another. As a result, these places are called First World Countries.

However, during the Cold War, the terms First World, Second World, and Third World applied to distinct parts of the globe. First World referred to Anglo-America and Western Europe, the NATO countries. Second World referred to the Soviet Union and its allies. The Third World referred to most of the countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, which served as the proxy war battlegrounds. According to this definition, Israel is a Third World Country since it lies in the Third World region.

Answer 3

Iran is a developing country.

Answer 4

yes it is