Who are the Global South?

Source: This post on Global South has been created based on the article “Who are the Global South?” published in “Business Standard” on 11^th January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 International Relations – Global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

News: The article discusses the history of the term ‘Global South (GS)’. It also highlights the variations (based on population, income, conflict levels) within the Global South countries.

A detailed article on India and Global South can be read here.

What is the Global South?

1. The Global South refers to countries often characterized as developing, less developed, or underdeveloped, mainly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
2. These nations have higher levels of poverty, income inequality, and challenging living conditions compared to the wealthier nations of the Global North.
3. The Global North are richer nations that are located mostly in North America and Europe, with some additions in Oceania and elsewhere.

Source: Wikipedia.

What is the history of the term?

The term Global South (GS) was possibly first used by Carl Oglesby.

It became popular due to the Willy Brandt (former German Chancellor) Report, which highlighted the massive gap in standards of living between the North and the South (separated by the Brandt Line).

The term has become more popular over the last 40 years (as a reference to “developing countries”).

What are the variations within the Global South countries?

According to the author, the best way to study the composition of GS is to look at data on population and per capita income of GS nations. Data on the 50 most populous GS countries (with over 20 million population) brings out the following insights:

The situation of these countries varies enormously with respect to income and population, both across continents and within them.

Population Levels:
4 out of the 5 most populous nations of the world are in Asia (including China and India).

Economic Growth:
In recent decades, Asian economies (especially in East Asia) have grown the fastest and are expected to do so in the future as well.

Income Levels:
Latin American countries (except Venezuela) are either upper-middle or high-income.
The African members of the GS are generally poorer with 7 of the 20 countries having per capita income of less than $1,000.

Conflict Situation:
3 large African nations (Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan) have been affected by long and bloody civil conflicts.
Civil conflicts have halted development in 4 Asian nations too (Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Myanmar).

How much is the Global South’s influence in world affairs?

The North is much more advanced than the South in power, wealth and technology. There is also no GS organisation with a secretariat, like the OECD of the Global North. Thus, the role of GS has been low.

However, the situation is changing in the following ways:

1. Increased Participation: GS is building forums within important North-created international institutions, such as IMF, WTO and UN agencies.
2. Increased Cooperation: GS has created membership-limited organisations such as OPEC, ASEAN, and the African Union. Organisations such as the OPEC have been effective in advancing the interests of its members.

Question for practice:

The Global South is not a homogenous group, and its definition is continuously evolving. Discuss.