Whereas the underlying idea behind the term ‘social exclusion' is not radically new, neither country nor scholar has identified a formal ‘exclusion threshold', like the poverty line. The current study tries both to provide more theoretical ground for the approach of social exclusion and help to extend the practical use of the approach. It explores the scope for the analysis of social exclusion across a range of existing indicators sets in order to examine the possibility of using the concept of social exclusion in contexts other than the European conditions in which it has been originally championed. In order to achieve its objectives, the study pursues the traditional narrative approach. The included review encompasses both theoretical literature and empirical findings of different sources. As a starting point, the development of social exclusion issues that cover both conceptual underpinning and policy emphasis has been revised since efforts of ChicagoSchool until Europe 2020 Strategy. The study then conceptualizes the term 'social exclusion' and recapitulates its components in the context of developing countries into seven suggested elements. This research constructs- for the first time- an indicative general overarching framework that goes beyond identify disadvantaged groups to encompass actors, determinants, mechanisms (how, through what and by whom social exclusion happens), and different patterns of social exclusion. Within a broader perspective, the study handles social exclusion as a subsystem comprises of inputs, intervening processes, and outputs.  It thus bridges the gap of earlier research contributions that confine the phenomenon only in excluded groups, but neglect the core nature of social exclusion as a dynamic process. Inspired by the principles-based approach, the study suggests four domains should be included in any criteria measure social exclusion in developing countries. The study ends with some recommendations to in the way forward for promoting measures of social exclusion in developing countries.