Question

What is the main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different countries? What are the limitations of this criterion, if any?

Answer 1

The main criterion the World Bank uses in classifying different countries is the per capita income or average income of a person in a country.

Limitations of this criterion:

It does not tell us how this average income is distributed among the people in the individual countries. Two countries with the same per capita income might be very different with regard to income distribution. One might have an equitable income distribution, while the other might have significant disparities between the rich and the poor.