15th March 2018 UNCTAD
With increasing national earning power as well as access to better health care and education, four countries - Bhutan, Kiribati, São Tomé and Principe and Solomon Islands - will be recommended for graduation from the list of 47 least developed countries, United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP) has said.
"This is a historic occasion," CDP Chair Jose Antonio Ocampo said. "In the 47 years since the start of the category, only five countries have previously left the list."
He added that two more countries, Vanuatu and Angola, are scheduled for graduation in 2020 and 2021.
The committee's recommendations follow increases in the national income in all countries, plus improved education and health. Government development policies, as well as an improved global economic environment and the coordinated efforts of the international community have also driven the progress.