Key difference: A country is deemed to be developing or developed mainly on the basis of economics, per capita income, industrialization, literacy rate, living standards etc.  A developed country has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less developed nations.

According to Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, "A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment." However, United Nations Statistics Division claims that , “There is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas in the United Nations system… The designations "developed" and "developing" are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process.”

In common parlance, a country is deemed to be developing or developed mainly on the basis of economics, per capita income, industrialization, literacy rate, living standards etc.  According to Wikipedia, “A developed country or "more developed country" (MDC), is a sovereign state that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less developed nations. Most commonly the criteria for evaluating the degree of economic development is gross domestic product (GDP), the per capita income, level of industrialization, amount of widespread infrastructure and general standard of living. Which criteria are to be used and which countries can be classified as being developed are subjects of debate”

Generalized characteristics of developed countries:

• Post-industrial economies
• High level of industrial development
• High level of affluent citizens
• Low levels of unemployment
• Higher education rates
• Technological advantages
• Better roads
• Stable governments
• Good health care
• Human and natural resources are fully utilized
• High level of per capita income
• High Human Development Index (HDI)
• Increased life expectancy
• Low birth rates
• Low death rates
• Good housing conditions
• Safe water supplies
• Abundant food supplies
• Easy to access advanced medical services

Generalized characteristics of developing countries:

• In the process of industrialization
• Low level of affluent citizens
• Higher levels of unemployment
• Lower education rates
• Often contain undeveloped rural villages
• Unstable governments
• High level of birth rates
• High level of death rates
• High infant mortality rate
• Dirty, unreliable water supplies
• Poor housing conditions
• Poor nutrition
• Diets that are short in calories and/or protein
• Poor access to medical services
• Endemic disease in some countries
• Low to medium standard of living
• Limited technological capacity
• Unequal distribution of income
• Factors of production are not fully utilized

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