Why it's wrong
An outdated Cold War term that ranks countries in a hierarchy of development and treats Africa as a single lower tier. It is misleading because African countries span different income groups and economic trajectories.
What's actually true
The World Bank no longer uses 'Third World.' It classifies economies by four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. Sub-Saharan Africa includes countries across all of these categories.
Don't say · Say instead
Don't say
“Gambia is a Third World country.”
Say instead
“Gambia is a low-income country.”
Shorthand: Low-income / lower-middle-income country
When this might not apply
When discussing the Cold War-era non-aligned bloc as a historical referent, "Third World" is the term of art and should be preserved with framing. Do not use it as a present-tense classifier of African countries.