Underdevelopment is a concept used in social science, particularly in the context of global inequality and post-colonial studies, to describe the economic state of societies, primarily in the Global South, that were historically exploited and/or previously colonised by Western countries during the periods of colonialism. This perspective suggests that the current state of poverty and limited economic development in many of these societies is not simply a natural or inevitable condition but is, in part, a result of historical processes of exploitation and dependence imposed by powerful, wealthy states, which actively extracted resources, disrupted local economies, and established unequal trade relationships that continue to disadvantage these nations. Underdevelopment theory emphasises the historical and ongoing power dynamics between developed and developing countries, highlighting how the wealth and prosperity of some nations may have been built upon the exploitation and impoverishment of others, perpetuating a cycle of dependence and hindering genuine economic development in the formerly colonised regions.