Indeed, development is a complex term that takes in many different ideas. But most simply, development, when we are talking about countries, means reaching an acceptable standard of living for all people. It means that people have the basic things they need to live (see What Are the Millennium Development Goals?). It means that all the people have the right to make choices about their lives. It means that they have opportunities to improve their living situations.

Developed countries are not necessarily rich countries, and all rich countries are not necessarily developed. For example, rich countries may not be considered developed if they have a few very rich people and many very poor people, and if many people don't have healthcare and education, clean air and water, roads and electricity.

Development is a cooperative effort of many. The governments of poor countries work to improve their incomes, and, in most cases, to improve the lives of their people. The governments of most rich countries try to help poor countries to do so. Institutions like the World Bank also provide money and projects to improve the lives of poor people. Many other charitable groups around the world work to do the same. And the poor themselves struggle daily to provide for themselves and their families.

These groups and governments established a list of goals that the whole world today is striving to reach-—the Millennium Development Goals.

Development, by its nature, will always be ongoing, even when these basic goals are met. People will always try to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of their children. At the same time, all agree that development efforts should be "sustainable." This means meeting today’s needs without creating problems for future generations. (Find out more about sustainable development.)

Related Links
Will each region in the world reach the goals?
www.developmentgoals.org
www.un.org/millennium