The phrase "a second class country" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a nation that is perceived to have lower status or development compared to others, often in a socio-economic or political context.
Example: "Some argue that the lack of infrastructure investment has relegated us to being viewed as a second class country on the global stage."
Alternatives: "a developing nation" or "an underdeveloped country".
As Lula put it in Copenhagen, Brazil is no longer a "second-class country".
In one way or another, they would make us second-class citizens in a second-class country.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who lobbied longer, said the result signalled that Brazil was no longer a "second-class country".
Mexico's ambassador to the United Nations has been dismissed after saying the United States regards Mexico as a second-class country, government officials said Tuesday.
A3 Mexican Envoy Is Fired Mexico's ambassador to the United Nations has been dismissed after saying the United States regards Mexico as a second-class country, government officials said.
The society at large blames him for losing the Soviet empire and leaving them citizens of a second-class country, even if individuals recognize that he opened new horizons for them and their children.
"Brazil went from a second-class country to a first-class country, and today we began to receive the respect we deserve," Mr. da Silva said from Copenhagen after the vote on Friday, pulling out a handkerchief several times during the ceremony to dab cheeks wet with tears.
"A first-class country can't have third-class jobs," read posters plastered on buildings downtown.
They don't seem to understand that if you lose your manufacturing base you become a third-class country".
In 2009, when Rio won the bidding to hold the Games, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, then the country's President, hailed it as proof that "Brazil has left the ranks of second-class countries and turned into a first-class country".
Whoever advocates to the contrary must know that he or she is telling Spain to resign its status as a first-class country.
