The search hedges below were developed using the World Bank country economy classification as of fiscal year 2024-2025. World Bank classifies countries as follows: Economies are currently divided into four income groupings: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high. Countries are immediately assigned on July 1 of each year, based on their estimate of Atlas GNI per capita for the previous calendar year. Learn more about World Bank Country Classification.
The hedges below reflect three country categories to allow for precision in searching: (1) low-income, (2) low and lower-middle-income, and (3) low and middle-income (which includes lower- and upper-middle and is often referred to with the acronym LMIC). Refer to the World Bank's classification lists for specifics on which countries are included in each group. These terms for specific countries are designed to find the country name and not the demonym, or name of the population (such as "Sudan" vs. "Sudanese").
In addition to country terms, the below hedges contain keywords, which are based on the hedge created by the now-inactive Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care (EPOC) group.
These hedges use expansive language to include all possible keywords to describe these income groups. In this effort, now outdated words like “third world” and "developing world" are included in the search. Learn more about terminology.
Afghanistan[tw] OR "Burkina Faso"[tw] OR Burundi[tw] OR "Central African Republic"[tw] OR Chad[tw] OR "Congo, Democratic Republic "[tw] OR "Democratic Republic of the Congo"[tw] OR "DR Congo"[tw] OR "Congo-Kinshasa"[tw] OR Eritrea[tw] OR Ethiopia[tw] OR Gambia[tw] OR Guinea-Bissau[tw] OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic"[tw] OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea"[tw] OR "North Korea"[tw] OR Liberia[tw] OR Madagascar[tw] OR Malawi[tw] OR Mali[tw] OR Mozambique[tw] OR Niger[tw] OR Rwanda[tw] OR "Sierra Leone"[tw] OR Somalia[tw] OR "South Sudan"[tw] OR Sudan[tw] OR "Syrian Arab Republic"[tw] OR Syria[tw] OR Togo[tw] OR Uganda[tw] OR Yemen[tw] OR "developing countr*" [TW] OR "developing nation*"[TW] OR "developing population*"[TW] OR "developing world"[TW] OR "less developed countr*"[TW] OR "less developed nation*"[TW] OR "less developed world"[TW] OR "lesser developed countr*"[TW] OR "lesser developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed countr*"[TW] OR "under developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed world"[TW] OR "underdeveloped countr*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped nation*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped world"[TW] OR "low income countr*"[TW] OR "low income nation*"[TW] OR "lower income countr*"[TW] OR "lower income nation*"[TW] OR "underserved countr*"[TW] OR "underserved nation*"[TW] OR "deprived countr*"[TW] OR "high burden countr*"[TW] OR "high burden nation*"[TW] OR "countdown countr*"[TW] OR "poor countr*"[TW] OR "poor nation*"[TW] OR "poor world"[TW] OR "poorer countr*"[TW] OR "poorer nation*"[TW] OR "developing econom*"[TW] OR "less developed econom*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped econom*"[TW] OR "low income econom*"[TW] OR "lower income econom*"[TW] OR "low gdp"[TW] OR "low gnp"[TW] OR "low gross domestic"[TW] OR "low gross national"[TW] OR "lower gdp"[TW] OR "lower gnp"[TW] OR "lower gross domestic"[TW] OR “lowest gross domestic”[TW] OR "lower gross national"[TW] OR "lmic"[TW] OR "lmics"[TW] OR "lami countr*"[TW] OR "third world"[TW] OR "transitional countr*"[TW] OR "emerging econom*"[TW] OR "emerging nation*"[TW] or "global south"[TW]
Afghanistan[tw] OR Angola[tw] OR Bangladesh[tw] OR Benin[tw] OR Bhutan[tw] OR Bolivia[tw] OR "Burkina Faso"[tw] OR Burundi[tw] OR "Cabo Verde"[tw] OR "Cape Verde"[tw] OR Cambodia[tw] OR Cameroon[tw] OR Cameroun[tw] OR "Central African Republic"[tw] OR Chad[tw] OR Comoros[tw] OR Congo [tw] OR "Côte d’Ivoire"[tw] OR "Cote d'Ivoire"[tw] OR "Ivory Coast"[tw] OR Djibouti[tw] OR Egypt[tw] OR Eritrea[tw] OR Eswatini[tw] OR Ethiopia[tw] OR Gambia[tw] OR Ghana[tw] OR Guinea[tw] OR "Guinea-Bissau"[tw] OR Haiti[tw] OR Honduras[tw] OR India[tw] OR Jordan[tw] OR Kenya[tw] OR Kiribati[tw] OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic"[tw] OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea"[tw] OR "North Korea"[tw] OR "Kyrgyz Republic"[tw] OR Kyrgyzstan[tw] OR "Lao PDR"[tw] OR "Lao People's Democratic Republic"[tw] OR Laos[tw] OR Lebanon[tw] OR Lesotho[tw] OR Liberia[tw] OR Madagascar[tw] OR Malawi[tw] OR Mali[tw] OR Mauritania[tw] OR Micronesia[tw] OR Morocco[tw] OR Mozambique[tw] OR Myanmar[tw] OR Burma[tw] OR Nepal[tw] OR Nicaragua[tw] OR Niger[tw] OR Nigeria[tw] OR Pakistan[tw] OR "Papua New Guinea"[tw] OR Philippines[tw] OR Rwanda[tw] OR Samoa[tw] OR "São Tomé and Príncipe"[tw] OR "Sao Tome and Principe"[tw] OR Senegal[tw] OR "Sierra Leone"[tw] OR "Solomon Islands"[tw] OR Somalia[tw] OR "South Sudan"[tw] OR "Sri Lanka"[tw] OR Ceylon[tw] OR Sudan[tw] OR "Syrian Arab Republic"[tw] OR Syria[tw] OR Tajikistan[tw] OR Tanzania[tw] OR Timor-Leste[tw] OR "East Timor"[tw] OR Togo[tw] OR Tunisia[tw] OR Uganda[tw] OR Uzbekistan[tw] OR Vanuatu[tw] OR Vietnam[tw] OR "Viet Nam"[tw] OR "West Bank"[tw] OR Gaza[tw] OR Yemen[tw] OR Zambia[tw] OR Zimbabwe[tw] OR "developing countr*" [TW] OR "developing nation*"[TW] OR "developing population*"[TW] OR "developing world"[TW] OR "less developed countr*"[TW] OR "less developed nation*"[TW] OR "less developed world"[TW] OR "lesser developed countr*"[TW] OR "lesser developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed countr*"[TW] OR "under developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed world"[TW] OR "underdeveloped countr*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped nation*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped world"[TW] OR "low income countr*"[TW] OR "low income nation*"[TW] OR "lower income countr*"[TW] OR "lower income nation*"[TW] OR "underserved countr*"[TW] OR "underserved nation*"[TW] OR "deprived countr*"[TW] OR "high burden countr*"[TW] OR "high burden nation*"[TW] OR "countdown countr*"[TW] OR "poor countr*"[TW] OR "poor nation*"[TW] OR "poor world"[TW] OR "poorer countr*"[TW] OR "poorer nation*"[TW] OR "developing econom*"[TW] OR "less developed econom*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped econom*"[TW] OR "low income econom*"[TW] OR "lower income econom*"[TW] OR "low gdp"[TW] OR "low gnp"[TW] OR "low gross domestic"[TW] OR "low gross national"[TW] OR "lower gdp"[TW] OR "lower gnp"[TW] OR "lower gross domestic"[TW] OR “lowest gross domestic”[TW] OR "lower gross national"[TW] OR "lmic"[TW] OR "lmics"[TW] OR "lami countr*"[TW] OR "third world"[TW] OR "transitional countr*"[TW] OR "emerging econom*"[TW] OR "emerging nation*"[TW] or "global south"[TW]
*Includes Lower-Middle-Income and Upper-Middle-Income countries
Afghanistan[tw] OR Angola[tw] OR Bangladesh[tw] OR Benin[tw] OR Bhutan[tw] OR Bolivia[tw] OR "Burkina Faso"[tw] OR Burundi[tw] OR "Cabo Verde"[tw] OR "Cape Verde"[tw] OR Cambodia[tw] OR Cameroon[tw] OR Cameroun[tw] OR "Central African Republic"[tw] OR Chad[tw] OR Comoros[tw] OR Congo [tw] OR "Côte d’Ivoire"[tw] OR "Cote d'Ivoire"[tw] OR "Ivory Coast"[tw] OR Djibouti[tw] OR Egypt[tw] OR Eritrea[tw] OR Eswatini[tw] OR Ethiopia[tw] OR Gambia[tw] OR Ghana[tw] OR Guinea[tw] OR "Guinea-Bissau"[tw] OR Haiti[tw] OR Honduras[tw] OR India[tw] OR Jordan[tw] OR Kenya[tw] OR Kiribati[tw] OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic"[tw] OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea"[tw] OR "North Korea"[tw] OR "Kyrgyz Republic"[tw] OR Kyrgyzstan[tw] OR "Lao PDR"[tw] OR "Lao People's Democratic Republic"[tw] OR Laos[tw] OR Lebanon[tw] OR Lesotho[tw] OR Liberia[tw] OR Madagascar[tw] OR Malawi[tw] OR Mali[tw] OR Mauritania[tw] OR Micronesia[tw] OR Morocco[tw] OR Mozambique[tw] OR Myanmar[tw] OR Burma[tw] OR Nepal[tw] OR Nicaragua[tw] OR Niger[tw] OR Nigeria[tw] OR Pakistan[tw] OR "Papua New Guinea"[tw] OR Philippines[tw] OR Rwanda[tw] OR Samoa[tw] OR "São Tomé and Príncipe"[tw] OR "Sao Tome and Principe"[tw] OR Senegal[tw] OR "Sierra Leone"[tw] OR "Solomon Islands"[tw] OR Somalia[tw] OR "South Sudan"[tw] OR "Sri Lanka"[tw] OR Ceylon[tw] OR Sudan[tw] OR "Syrian Arab Republic"[tw] OR Syria[tw] OR Tajikistan[tw] OR Tanzania[tw] OR Timor-Leste[tw] OR "East Timor"[tw] OR Togo[tw] OR Tunisia[tw] OR Uganda[tw] OR Uzbekistan[tw] OR Vanuatu[tw] OR Vietnam[tw] OR "Viet Nam"[tw] OR "West Bank"[tw] OR Gaza[tw] OR Yemen[tw] OR Zambia[tw] OR Zimbabwe[tw] OR Albania[tw] OR Algeria[tw] OR Argentina[tw] OR Armenia[tw] OR Azerbaijan[tw] OR Belarus[tw] OR Belize[tw] OR Bosnia[tw] OR Herzegovina[tw] OR Botswana[tw] OR Brazil[tw] or Brasil[tw] OR China[tw] OR Colombia[tw] OR "Costa Rica"[tw] OR Cuba[tw] OR Dominica[tw] OR "Dominican Republic"[tw] OR Ecuador[tw] OR "El Salvador"[tw] OR "Equatorial Guinea"[tw] OR Fiji[tw] OR Gabon[tw] OR Georgia[tw] OR Grenada[tw] OR Guatemala[tw] OR Indonesia[tw] OR Iran[tw] OR Iraq[tw] OR Jamaica[tw] OR Kazakhstan[tw] OR Kosovo[tw] OR Libya[tw] OR Malaysia[tw] OR Maldives[tw] OR "Marshall Islands"[tw] OR Mauritius[tw] OR Mexico[tw] OR Moldova[tw] OR Mongolia[tw] OR Montenegro[tw] OR Namibia[tw] OR "North Macedonia"[tw] OR Paraguay[tw] OR Peru[tw] OR Serbia[tw] OR South Africa[tw] OR "St. Lucia"[tw] OR "St Lucia"[tw] OR "Saint Lucia"[tw] OR "St. Vincent and the Grenadines"[tw] OR "St Vincent and the Grenadines"[tw] OR "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines"[tw] OR Suriname[tw] OR Thailand[tw] OR Siam[tw] OR Tonga[tw] OR Türkiye[tw] OR Turkiye[tw] OR Turkey[tw] OR Turkmenistan[tw] OR Tuvalu[tw] OR Ukraine[tw] OR "developing countr*" [TW] OR "developing nation*"[TW] OR "developing population*"[TW] OR "developing world"[TW] OR "less developed countr*"[TW] OR "less developed nation*"[TW] OR "less developed world"[TW] OR "lesser developed countr*"[TW] OR "lesser developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed countr*"[TW] OR "under developed nation*"[TW] OR "under developed world"[TW] OR "underdeveloped countr*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped nation*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped world"[TW] OR "low income countr*"[TW] OR "low income nation*"[TW] OR "lower income countr*"[TW] OR "lower income nation*"[TW] OR "underserved countr*"[TW] OR "underserved nation*"[TW] OR "deprived countr*"[TW] OR "high burden countr*"[TW] OR "high burden nation*"[TW] OR "countdown countr*"[TW] OR "poor countr*"[TW] OR "poor nation*"[TW] OR "poor world"[TW] OR "poorer countr*"[TW] OR "poorer nation*"[TW] OR "developing econom*"[TW] OR "less developed econom*"[TW] OR "underdeveloped econom*"[TW] OR "low income econom*"[TW] OR "lower income econom*"[TW] OR "low gdp"[TW] OR "low gnp"[TW] OR "low gross domestic"[TW] OR "low gross national"[TW] OR "lower gdp"[TW] OR "lower gnp"[TW] OR "lower gross domestic"[TW] OR “lowest gross domestic”[TW] OR "lower gross national"[TW] OR "lmic"[TW] OR "lmics"[TW] OR "lami countr*"[TW] OR "third world"[TW] OR "transitional countr*"[TW] OR "emerging econom*"[TW] OR "emerging nation*"[TW] or "global south"[TW] OR "middle income countr*"[TW] OR "middle income nation*"[TW] OR "middle income econom*"[TW]
NOTES:
Peterson, S. R., Leslie, S. L., Rogers, H. K., Nemeth, J., Reardon, E. E., & White, M. S. (2025, February). Search Hedges- Emory University. Health Sciences Research Guides. Retrieved [xx], from https://guides.libraries.emory.edu/search_hedges/geographic_locations_LMIC
Afghanistan OR "Burkina Faso" OR Burundi OR "Central African Republic" OR Chad OR "Congo, Democratic Republic " OR "Democratic Republic of the Congo" OR "DR Congo" OR "Congo-Kinshasa" OR Eritrea OR Ethiopia OR Gambia OR Guinea-Bissau OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic" OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea" OR "North Korea" OR Liberia OR Madagascar OR Malawi OR Mali OR Mozambique OR Niger OR Rwanda OR "Sierra Leone" OR Somalia OR "South Sudan" OR Sudan OR "Syrian Arab Republic" OR Syria OR Togo OR Uganda OR Yemen OR "developing countr*" OR "developing nation*" OR "developing population*" OR "developing world" OR "less developed countr*" OR "less developed nation*" OR "less developed world" OR "lesser developed countr*" OR "lesser developed nation*" OR "under developed countr*" OR "under developed nation*" OR "under developed world" OR "underdeveloped countr*" OR "underdeveloped nation*" OR "underdeveloped world" OR "low income countr*" OR "low income nation*" OR "lower income countr*" OR "lower income nation*" OR "underserved countr*" OR "underserved nation*" OR "deprived countr*" OR "high burden countr*" OR "high burden nation*" OR "countdown countr*" OR "poor countr*" OR "poor nation*" OR "poor world" OR "poorer countr*" OR "poorer nation*" OR "developing econom*" OR "less developed econom*" OR "underdeveloped econom*" OR "low income econom*" OR "lower income econom*" OR "low gdp" OR "low gnp" OR "low gross domestic" OR "low gross national" OR "lower gdp" OR "lower gnp" OR "lower gross domestic" OR “lowest gross domestic” OR "lower gross national" OR "lmic" OR "lmics" OR "lami countr*" OR "third world" OR "transitional countr*" OR "emerging econom*" OR "emerging nation*" or "global south"
Afghanistan OR Angola OR Bangladesh OR Benin OR Bhutan OR Bolivia OR "Burkina Faso" OR Burundi OR "Cabo Verde" OR "Cape Verde" OR Cambodia OR Cameroon OR Cameroun OR "Central African Republic" OR Chad OR Comoros OR Congo OR "Côte d’Ivoire" OR "Cote d'Ivoire" OR "Ivory Coast" OR Djibouti OR Egypt OR Eritrea OR Eswatini OR Ethiopia OR Gambia OR Ghana OR Guinea OR "Guinea-Bissau" OR Haiti OR Honduras OR India OR Jordan OR Kenya OR Kiribati OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic" OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea" OR "North Korea" OR "Kyrgyz Republic" OR Kyrgyzstan OR "Lao PDR" OR "Lao People's Democratic Republic" OR Laos OR Lebanon OR Lesotho OR Liberia OR Madagascar OR Malawi OR Mali OR Mauritania OR Micronesia OR Morocco OR Mozambique OR Myanmar OR Burma OR Nepal OR Nicaragua OR Niger OR Nigeria OR Pakistan OR "Papua New Guinea" OR Philippines OR Rwanda OR Samoa OR "São Tomé and Príncipe" OR "Sao Tome and Principe" OR Senegal OR "Sierra Leone" OR "Solomon Islands" OR Somalia OR "South Sudan" OR "Sri Lanka" OR Ceylon OR Sudan OR "Syrian Arab Republic" OR Syria OR Tajikistan OR Tanzania OR Timor-Leste OR "East Timor" OR Togo OR Tunisia OR Uganda OR Uzbekistan OR Vanuatu OR Vietnam OR "Viet Nam" OR "West Bank" OR Gaza OR Yemen OR Zambia OR Zimbabwe OR "developing countr*" OR "developing nation*" OR "developing population*" OR "developing world" OR "less developed countr*" OR "less developed nation*" OR "less developed world" OR "lesser developed countr*" OR "lesser developed nation*" OR "under developed countr*" OR "under developed nation*" OR "under developed world" OR "underdeveloped countr*" OR "underdeveloped nation*" OR "underdeveloped world" OR "low income countr*" OR "low income nation*" OR "lower income countr*" OR "lower income nation*" OR "underserved countr*" OR "underserved nation*" OR "deprived countr*" OR "high burden countr*" OR "high burden nation*" OR "countdown countr*" OR "poor countr*" OR "poor nation*" OR "poor world" OR "poorer countr*" OR "poorer nation*" OR "developing econom*" OR "less developed econom*" OR "underdeveloped econom*" OR "low income econom*" OR "lower income econom*" OR "low gdp" OR "low gnp" OR "low gross domestic" OR "low gross national" OR "lower gdp" OR "lower gnp" OR "lower gross domestic" OR “lowest gross domestic” OR "lower gross national" OR "lmic" OR "lmics" OR "lami countr*" OR "third world" OR "transitional countr*" OR "emerging econom*" OR "emerging nation*" or "global south"
*Includes Lower-Middle-Income and Upper-Middle-Income countries
Afghanistan OR Angola OR Bangladesh OR Benin OR Bhutan OR Bolivia OR "Burkina Faso" OR Burundi OR "Cabo Verde" OR "Cape Verde" OR Cambodia OR Cameroon OR Cameroun OR "Central African Republic" OR Chad OR Comoros OR Congo OR "Côte d’Ivoire" OR "Cote d'Ivoire" OR "Ivory Coast" OR Djibouti OR Egypt OR Eritrea OR Eswatini OR Ethiopia OR Gambia OR Ghana OR Guinea OR "Guinea-Bissau" OR Haiti OR Honduras OR India OR Jordan OR Kenya OR Kiribati OR "Korea, Democratic People's Republic" OR "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea" OR "North Korea" OR "Kyrgyz Republic" OR Kyrgyzstan OR "Lao PDR" OR "Lao People's Democratic Republic" OR Laos OR Lebanon OR Lesotho OR Liberia OR Madagascar OR Malawi OR Mali OR Mauritania OR Micronesia OR Morocco OR Mozambique OR Myanmar OR Burma OR Nepal OR Nicaragua OR Niger OR Nigeria OR Pakistan OR "Papua New Guinea" OR Philippines OR Rwanda OR Samoa OR "São Tomé and Príncipe" OR "Sao Tome and Principe" OR Senegal OR "Sierra Leone" OR "Solomon Islands" OR Somalia OR "South Sudan" OR "Sri Lanka" OR Ceylon OR Sudan OR "Syrian Arab Republic" OR Syria OR Tajikistan OR Tanzania OR Timor-Leste OR "East Timor" OR Togo OR Tunisia OR Uganda OR Uzbekistan OR Vanuatu OR Vietnam OR "Viet Nam" OR "West Bank" OR Gaza OR Yemen OR Zambia OR Zimbabwe OR Albania OR Algeria OR Argentina OR Armenia OR Azerbaijan OR Belarus OR Belize OR Bosnia OR Herzegovina OR Botswana OR Brazil or Brasil OR China OR Colombia OR "Costa Rica" OR Cuba OR Dominica OR "Dominican Republic" OR Ecuador OR "El Salvador" OR "Equatorial Guinea" OR Fiji OR Gabon OR Georgia OR Grenada OR Guatemala OR Indonesia OR Iran OR Iraq OR Jamaica OR Kazakhstan OR Kosovo OR Libya OR Malaysia OR Maldives OR "Marshall Islands" OR Mauritius OR Mexico OR Moldova OR Mongolia OR Montenegro OR Namibia OR "North Macedonia" OR Paraguay OR Peru OR Serbia OR South Africa OR "St. Lucia" OR "St Lucia" OR "Saint Lucia" OR "St. Vincent and the Grenadines" OR "St Vincent and the Grenadines" OR "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines" OR Suriname OR Thailand OR Siam OR Tonga OR Türkiye OR Turkiye OR Turkey OR Turkmenistan OR Tuvalu OR Ukraine OR "developing countr*" OR "developing nation*" OR "developing population*" OR "developing world" OR "less developed countr*" OR "less developed nation*" OR "less developed world" OR "lesser developed countr*" OR "lesser developed nation*" OR "under developed countr*" OR "under developed nation*" OR "under developed world" OR "underdeveloped countr*" OR "underdeveloped nation*" OR "underdeveloped world" OR "low income countr*" OR "low income nation*" OR "lower income countr*" OR "lower income nation*" OR "underserved countr*" OR "underserved nation*" OR "deprived countr*" OR "high burden countr*" OR "high burden nation*" OR "countdown countr*" OR "poor countr*" OR "poor nation*" OR "poor world" OR "poorer countr*" OR "poorer nation*" OR "developing econom*" OR "less developed econom*" OR "underdeveloped econom*" OR "low income econom*" OR "lower income econom*" OR "low gdp" OR "low gnp" OR "low gross domestic" OR "low gross national" OR "lower gdp" OR "lower gnp" OR "lower gross domestic" OR “lowest gross domestic” OR "lower gross national" OR "lmic" OR "lmics" OR "lami countr*" OR "third world" OR "transitional countr*" OR "emerging econom*" OR "emerging nation*" or "global south" OR "middle income countr*" OR "middle income nation*" OR "middle income econom*"