Is Brazil A First World Country?

Brazil is one of the first countries to show that a country can transform its fortunes; and turn from an undeveloped mass of land, to a “developing industrialized state.” As a matter of fact, there is so much controversy at the moment about this country’s classification, which shows that the world has taken notice about how far Brazil has come.

Brazil is a former Portuguese colony; it is located in South America. This is the largest country on the continent with a land area of 8.5 million square kilometers. The country also has a population of 217 million people, making it the 7^th largest country in the world by population.

Brazilians are hardworking and productive; the country has been actively involved in research and development of new areas of technology, including alternative fuels.

Is Brazil A First World Country?

Brazil certainly has a good claim to this title; it has industry, infrastructure, a good healthcare system, and has reduced its external debt significantly.

Despite these giant strides made by this great country, Brazil is not classified as a First World Country because of the following technicalities.

The Politics

The phrase “First World” was first fabricated during the Cold War; at that time it meant “Capitalist Countries.” This is because the Cold War was an ideological struggle between the forces of Capitalism and Communism.

It was actually the wise people on the side of the Capitalists who coined the phrase. The phrase gave some distinction to the First World countries, and it implied some form of superiority to the others.

The others were countries on the other side of the ideological or political divide; they were called “Second World” countries.

First World Countries during the Cold War included the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other former British Colonies.

“Second World Countries” on the other hand were mostly located in Eastern Europe; some of them were also in Asia. They were basically those who supported the Soviet Union and its allies as it fought against the US.

“Second World Countries” did not give much freedom to their citizens, and sometimes that caused many of the citizens to leave.

The Economics

When the Cold War ended, the phrase First World was assigned a new meaning; this time it became an economic term which means “rich countries.”

Countries that merited this classification include The UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, New Zealand, and some other countries of Western Europe.

The First World countries of today retain their Capitalist disposition. This means the wealth is mostly held in private hands. However, the governments of these countries continue to offer all the protection necessary for the preservation of wealth. They also enact policies that help businesses thrive.

First World Countries usually have high literacy rates, high life expectancy, great medical facilities, and they often perform high on the human development index. It is for these reasons that many people from all over the world want to live in

First World countries are rich because they are stable societies where investors have no fear of losing their investments. Peace is therefore an important factor which makes a country rich or poor.

But as mentioned earlier; Brazil is not classified as a First World Country. The other classifications of the economic pyramid follow below.

Developing Industrialized State

A Developing Industrialized State has attained an economy that is driven by industrialization. When a country produces finished goods, and even exports them, it shows that it has been able to sustain the growth for a prolonged period of time. It takes a stable and peaceful economy to manage such growth.

However, many of these countries still struggle with other problems such as income inequality, poverty, and low literacy rates.

With this level of development, it is clear that Brazil, and any other country in this category will soon reach “First World” status.

Other classifications include:

Second World Countries

Second World Countries are those that have not yet become industrialized; some of them are in Eastern Europe, North Africa, Oceania, and Asia. Second World countries may have some level of industrialization, and they may also have infrastructure but often times the market is not robust enough to support heavy industrialization.

Second World Countries can rise to First World status; if they have stable societies they can attract investors who will put money into their economy by establishing factories and production houses.

Third World Countries

Third World Countries are mostly located in sub Saharan Africa; although they are also in Oceania, the Caribbean, and Asia. Third World Countries are at the bottom of the economic pyramid; they have the least infrastructure, industry, and economies.

They often have unstable social structures, and many of them are recovering from the ravages of war. They are therefore not seen as good grounds for investment.

The poverty on ground also means that purchasing power is low; and so even if there is production, it would most likely not be profitable for the investor.

Related:

• Is Germany A First World Country?
• Is Japan A First World Country?
• Is Mexico A First World Country?
• Is Singapore A First World Country?

Closing

Brazil is very well on its way to becoming a First World Country; it has reached the level of industrialization needed to be classified as such. However, the country still has a bit of poverty to grapple with; many of its citizens are below average on the human development index.

Nevertheless, Brazil is a good economy; investments in this country are expected to yield profits because the market is robust enough to support production. Remember that this is a country with a population of over 217 million people.