4.3 Basic Characteristics and Problems of Developing Countries

(Todaro-style list — check each against Nepal: this unit expects it.)1. Low levels of living — low income, health, education (Nepal: lower-middle-income indicators, improving);2. Low per capita income — Nepal's GNI per capita of roughly US$1,400 classifies it lower- middle income, a recent graduation;3. High population growth and dependency burdens (Nepal's growth has slowed — around 1% in the 2021 census — but youth bulge and migration reshape the burden);4. Dependence on agriculture and primary production — around a quarter of GDP but a much larger share of employment;5. Widespread underemployment and informal work (4.5.3);6. Dualism — modern and traditional sectors side by side (five-star hotel over the corner tea- shop; remittance consumerism over subsistence farms);7. Vulnerability — to shocks (2015 earthquake, COVID-19), to monsoon, to geography (landlockedness), to external decisions (Indian border openings);8. Inequality and exclusion (caste/ethnicity, region, gender — Sociology Unit 7's map);9. Institutional weakness — implementation gaps, weak state capacity, corruption;10. Dependence on aid, remittances and imports — Nepal's triple external dependence (its trade deficit among the world's largest relative to GDP; remittances around a quarter of GDP).