Low- and lower-income, Build countries live within planetary boundaries but still need to build an economic system that satisfies their society’s basic needs. 


They are home to 46% of the global population. They currently transgress few planetary boundaries, if any at all, but struggle to meet their basic needs, including Human Development Index (HDI) indicators such as education and healthcare. Their economies are dominated by agriculture and they are still building basic infrastructure.


The Build profile is most relevant to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, plus some small island states and Asian countries. The larger countries by population to which the profile may apply are India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.


To find out what country profile your country belongs to, explore [this interactive story](https://circularity-gap.world) and search for your country on the final map.

Whilst no two countries are the same, there are still obvious similarities between some of them, with discernible development patterns and parallels in evidence. Common problems and shared solutions help place unique country identities and individual issues in context.

Whilst this classification is far from clear-cut and exhibits some overlap, it does underline how the discourse on transitioning to a circular economy needs to account for both differences and commonalities, if we are to arrive at a more strategic and instructive analysis. It also allows to highlight a set of key themes that are likely to be central to the countries that fall under the respective profiles. 

Country profiles (Build, Grow, Shift)

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A framework to distinguish between different country profiles and their circular transition needs.