What is a third world country?

Question

I get confused when people say welcome to a 3rd world country =]

Answer 1

A third world country is one where agriculture dominates the national economy.  They are underdeveloped in terms of service, industry and manufacturing

First world when  industry, manufacturing and service dominate the economy.

2 world when centralised government control all aspects of the ecomony. Free enterprize is usually absent.. = North Korea

Answer 2

I looked at the answer given by the previous aswerer and I can do little to improve on it, other than to say it is usually used today to refer to countries that are poor and behind in technology and standard of living.

Answer 3

Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically during the 20th century. The name Third World arose during the Cold War to refer to nations that did not belong to the First and Second Worlds. While there is debate over the appropriateness of the term, and no alternative is without detractors, the term is one embraced by many Third World nations themselves, particularly in the Non-Aligned Movement.