The United Nations has designated 45 countries as least developed.
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Central African Republic (the)
- Chad
- Comoros (the)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (the)
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gambia (the)
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Kiribati
- Lao People's Democratic Republic (the)
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Niger (the)
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan (the)
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- United Republic of Tanzania (the)
- Yemen
- Zambia
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
TWAS has five programmes targeting Least Developed Countries: