This article charts social and economic transformation in the developing world over recent decades by drawing on a number of different secondary data sources. I propose that this rapid change means that we need to re-think the teaching of development in the curriculum to move beyond a polarised view of developed versus developing. The article explores how the geography curriculum in England has been slow to capture this transformation due to the internalisation of post-development thought (the narrowing of notions of progress and human agency). Fears about environmental, social and moral limits have led to a prevailing standpoint that is sceptical of economic growth and large-scale development, and elevates consumption over the productive sphere. This standpoint is reflected in alternative theories of post-development and sustainable development which favour development that is small-scale, local and environmentally benign, all of which are embedded in the English geography curriculum. A case is made for re-claiming the meaning of development, necessitating an open exploration of how lives are being improved and cultural capital advanced as developing countries expand their productive potential and diversify their economies.