Countries and communities with traditional economies are those where economic activities are based on customs, traditions, and subsistence methods such as hunting, fishing, gathering, and agriculture, often relying on barter rather than monetary systems.
Examples of Countries with Traditional Economies
- Haiti: A largely traditional economy where most people engage in subsistence farming, and goods are mainly produced and consumed locally
- Bhutan: Considered a traditional economy focused on agriculture, though it is modernizing gradually; it still retains traditional economic characteristics and uses a currency aligned with the Indian rupee
- Brazil: While Brazil overall has a mixed economy, many Amazonian tribes within Brazil live in traditional economies, relying on hunting, fishing, and bartering within their communities
- Canada and Alaska: Indigenous Inuit tribes in northern Canada and Alaska maintain traditional economies based on fishing, hunting, and survival skills passed down through generations
- Greenland and Yemen: Also cited as examples where traditional economic systems persist, relying on subsistence activities and barter
- Guinea-Bissau: Has a largely traditional economy based on fishing and farming
Traditional economies are typically local, community or tribe-based, with production aimed at meeting the needs of the group rather than profit. They often have little surplus, use barter systems, and are closely tied to the geography and culture of the people
. In summary, countries like Haiti, Bhutan, and regions within Brazil, Canada, and Alaska still have active traditional economies, often within indigenous or rural communities that maintain ancestral economic practices
