The notion of a divide between the rich north and the poor and developing south has long been a central concept among economists and policymakers. From 1950 to 1980, the north accounted for almost 80% of global GDP but only 22% of its population, and the south accounted for the remainder of global population and 20% global income.
关于富裕和的北半球和贫困以及处于发展中的南半球之间的发展差距的观点很长时间以来都是经济学家和政策制订者的中心观点。从1950年到1980年，北半球贡献了全球GDP的大约80%，而其人口只占22%；南半球则占据了全球其余人口及占全球经济收入的20%。