Identification of Eligible Countries
- The CDP reviews the list of LDCs and makes recommendations for inclusion in and graduation from the category every three years
- These recommendations are not exclusively based on the criteria scores, complementary country-specific information and the views of the government are also taken into account
- The inclusion thresholds, as determined by the CDP, must be met for each of the three criteria (GNI per capita, HAI and EVI) in one triennial review
Inclusion Thresholds: 2024 Triennial Review
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita |
Human Assets Index (HAI) |
Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) |
| $1,088 or below | 60 or below | 36 or above |
Time frame of the eligibility procedure
| January expert group review | CDP Preliminary finding: country satisfies inclusion criteria | ||||
| DESA Notifies the country of preliminary finding | |||||
| Between the expert group review and the triennial review | DESA Prepares a country assessment note and provides a draft to the country | ||||
| Country Presents a written statement (optional), indicating approval of or objection to the inclusion | |||||
| March triennial review | CDP Finds the country eligible | ||||
| DESA Formally notifies the country of eligibility conclusion | |||||
| CDP Submits to ECOSOC the recommendation to include the country, unless the country formally expresses objection | |||||
| After the March triennial review | ECOSOC Endorses the CDP recommendation | ||||
| Country Formally notifies the Secretary-General of its acceptance | |||||
| General Assembly Decides to take note of the CDP recommendation | |||||
| Country immediately becomes an LDC and is formally added to the list | |||||
Country assessment note
- Corroborates the basis of eligibility findings with statistical evidence
- Incorporates other relevant information such as recent economic and social conditions
Timeline of country’s inclusion to the LDC category
| 2029 | Cambodia, Senegal |
| 2027 | Solomon Islands |
| 2026 | Bangladesh, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nepal |
| 2024 | São Tomé and PrÃncipe |
| 2023 | Bhutan |
| 2020 | Vanuatu |
| 2017 | Equatorial Guinea |
| 2014 | Samoa |
| 2012 | South Sudan |
| 2011 | Maldives |
| 2007 | Cabo Verde |
| 2003 | Timor-Leste |
| 2000 | Senegal |
| 1994 | Botswana Angola, Eritrea |
| 1991 | Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Zambia |
| 1990 | Liberia |
| 1988 | Mozambique |
| 1987 | Myanmar |
| 1986 | Kiribati, Mauritania, Tuvalu |
| 1985 | Vanuatu |
| 1982 | Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo |
| 1981 | Guinea-Bissau |
| 1977 | Cabo Verde, Comoros |
| 1975 | Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Gambia |
| 1971 | Afghanistan, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen |
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