The world has already left the 'developed vs. developing' split behind

Rosling replaces the binary of rich West and poor rest with four income levels, from Level 1 (extreme poverty, less than $2/day) to Level 4 (modern comforts most Western readers take for granted). The useful fact: the vast majority of humanity — roughly 5 of 7 billion people — already lives on Levels 2 and 3, not at either extreme.

This matters because "developing countries" as a category lumps together nations with wildly different realities, from war-torn Level 1 states to Level 3 economies with smartphones, motorbikes, and stable electricity. Treating them as one undifferentiated mass produces both bad policy and bad instincts.

Rosling's test question — what percentage of the world's population lives in low-income countries — stumped most audiences, who guessed dramatically high. The real answer is under 10%. One-line takeaway: before generalizing about "poor countries," ask which of the four levels you actually mean.