Advanced economy

Various organizations, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and global index providers such as MSCI and FTSE Russell, use their own methodologies to classify economies as "developed" or "advanced". These may incorporate additional measures such as market accessibility, institutional quality, and financial market maturity. Consequently, advanced economies are generally distinguished from emerging and developing economies not only by income levels, but also by the complexity, diversification, and stability of their economic systems. The IMF maintains this classification primarily for analytical purposes, and some high-income economies particularly those heavily dependent on a single sector such as oil exports may still be categorized as emerging due to limited diversification.^[2]

As of April 2026, 43 economies are classified as advanced. These include major global economies such as the United States, Japan, and Germany, as well as smaller or highly specialized economies such as Singapore, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand.^[3][4]

According to the April 2026 edition of the World Economic Outlook, the following 43 economies are classified as advanced:^[3][4]

• Developed country
• Developed market
• Developing country
• Emerging market
• Least developed countries
• Global North and Global South