Which country has the highest Failed States Index?

Somalia has the highest Failed States Index in 2023, at 111.9, followed by Yemen (108.9) and South Sudan (108.5).

Which country has the lowest Failed States Index?

Norway has the lowest Failed States Index in 2023, at 14.5.

What is the median Failed States Index across countries?

The median is 68.75 across the 178 countries with data in 2023.

Where does this failed states data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Fragile States Index - 2023; State, Nation and Nation-State: Clarifying Misused Terminology - Penn State Department of Geography; Differences Between a Country, State, and Nation - Thought Co.; State, Country, and Nation - Infoplease.

Country rankings

Failed States

Name: Failed States
Creator: Rankodex

Somalia has the highest Failed States Index in 2023 (111.9), followed by Yemen (108.9) and South Sudan (108.5). Norway has the lowest (14.5).

History179 countries · 14 metricsUpdated Feb 3, 2025Original page

9 sources

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Year

178 of 235 countries

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Failed States Index, 2023

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 178 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

68.75

Middle half 48.9 – 82.2

Average

65.86

178 countries

Highest

111.9

Somalia

Lowest

14.5

Norway

Biggest changes · 2022 → 2023

174 countries have a value in both years.

Largest increases

Largest decreases

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

178 countries · # = rank by Failed States Index

#
1	Somalia	111.9	Very High Alert
2	Yemen	108.9	High Alert
3	South Sudan	108.5	High Alert
4	DR Congo	107.2	High Alert
5	Syria	107.1	High Alert
6	Afghanistan	106.6	High Alert
7	Sudan	106.2	High Alert
8	Central African Republic	105.7	High Alert
9	Chad	104.6	High Alert
10	Haiti	102.9	High Alert
11	Ethiopia	100.4	High Alert
12	Myanmar	100.2	High Alert
13	Mali	99.5	Alert
14	Guinea	98.5	Alert
15	Nigeria	98	Alert
16	Zimbabwe	96.9	Alert
17	Libya	96.1	Alert
18	Ukraine	95.9	Alert
19	Eritrea	94.5	Alert
20	Burundi	94.2	Alert
21	Mozambique	94	Alert
21	Cameroon	94	Alert
21	Burkina Faso	94	Alert
24	Niger	93.4	Alert
25	Lebanon	91.8	Alert
26	Uganda	91.5	Alert
27	Iraq	91.4	Alert
28	Republic of the Congo	90.7	Alert
29	Venezuela	90.5	Alert
30	Sri Lanka	90.3	Alert
31	Pakistan	89.9	High Warning
31	Guinea-Bissau	89.9	High Warning
33	Liberia	88.9	High Warning
34	Palestine	87.9	High Warning
35	Kenya	87.8	High Warning
36	Ivory Coast	87.1	High Warning
37	North Korea	87	High Warning
37	Mauritania	87	High Warning
39	Angola	86.9	High Warning
40	Iran	85.4	High Warning
41	Bangladesh	85.2	High Warning
42	Equatorial Guinea	84.4	High Warning
43	Malawi	83.2	High Warning
44	Rwanda	82.3	High Warning
45	Djibouti	82.2	High Warning
45	Comoros	82.2	High Warning
47	Togo	82.1	High Warning
48	Zambia	81.8	High Warning
49	Madagascar	81.7	High Warning
50	Egypt	81.6	High Warning
51	Sierra Leone	81.4	High Warning
52	Turkey	81.2	High Warning
53	Russia	80.7	High Warning
54	Cambodia	80.3	High Warning
55	Nepal	80.2	High Warning
56	Honduras	79.6	Warning
56	Solomon Islands	79.6	Warning
58	Eswatini	79.1	Warning
59	Colombia	78.1	Warning
59	Papua New Guinea	78.1	Warning
61	Philippines	77.8	Warning
62	Nicaragua	77.7	Warning
63	Timor-Leste	77.5	Warning
64	Guatemala	77.3	Warning
65	Tanzania	76.6	Warning
66	Lesotho	76.3	Warning
67	Gambia	76.1	Warning
68	Jordan	75.7	Warning
69	Kyrgyzstan	75.6	Warning
70	Laos	74.7	Warning
71	Brazil	74.5	Warning
72	Tajikistan	74.2	Warning
73	India	74.1	Warning
74	Benin	73.3	Warning
75	Peru	73.1	Warning
76	Azerbaijan	72.7	Warning
77	Bosnia and Herzegovina	72.3	Warning
78	South Africa	72	Warning
79	Georgia	71.9	Warning
80	Senegal	71.5	Warning
81	Bolivia	70.7	Warning
82	Fiji	70.2	Warning
83	Algeria	70	Warning
84	Belarus	69.9	Low Warning
85	Mexico	69.8	Low Warning
86	Sao Tome and Principe	69.7	Low Warning
87	Ecuador	69.4	Low Warning
88	El Salvador	69.3	Low Warning
88	Micronesia	69.3	Low Warning
90	Morocco	68.2	Low Warning
91	Thailand	68	Low Warning
92	Serbia	67.9	Low Warning
93	Armenia	67.5	Low Warning
94	Moldova	67.4	Low Warning
95	Uzbekistan	66.8	Low Warning
96	Tunisia	66.4	Low Warning
96	Bhutan	66.4	Low Warning
98	Indonesia	65.6	Low Warning
99	Gabon	65.5	Low Warning
100	Saudi Arabia	65.3	Low Warning
101	China	65.1	Low Warning
101	Bahrain	65.1	Low Warning
101	Samoa	65.1	Low Warning
104	Turkmenistan	64.5	Low Warning
105	Paraguay	63.7	Low Warning
106	Maldives	62.9	Low Warning
107	Ghana	62.3	Low Warning
108	Jamaica	61.9	Low Warning
109	Guyana	61.6	Low Warning
110	Dominican Republic	60.8	Low Warning
111	Kazakhstan	60.6	Low Warning
112	Namibia	60.3	Low Warning
113	Cape Verde	60.1	Low Warning
114	Belize	59.8	Less Stable
115	Suriname	59.7	Less Stable
116	Cuba	59.5	Less Stable
117	Vietnam	58.3	Less Stable
118	Montenegro	58	Less Stable
119	Cyprus	57	Less Stable
120	Albania	56.8	Less Stable
121	Botswana	55.3	Less Stable
122	Greece	55.1	Less Stable
123	Malaysia	55	Less Stable
124	Brunei	54.7	Less Stable
125	Antigua and Barbuda	53.8	Less Stable
126	Grenada	53.7	Less Stable
127	Seychelles	53.3	Less Stable
128	Romania	53	Less Stable
129	Trinidad and Tobago	52.9	Less Stable
130	Bulgaria	51.8	Less Stable
131	Mongolia	51.3	Less Stable
132	Kuwait	51.2	Less Stable
133	Bahamas	49.2	Stable
134	Hungary	48.8	Stable
135	Oman	48.7	Stable
135	Panama	48.7	Stable
135	Croatia	48.7	Stable
138	Argentina	46.4	Stable
139	Barbados	45.4	Stable
140	United States	45.3	Stable
141	Poland	45.2	Stable
142	Israel	44.1	Stable
143	Spain	43.5	Stable
144	Latvia	43.3	Stable
145	Italy	42.6	Stable
146	Chile	42.2	Stable
147	United Kingdom	41.9	Stable
148	Qatar	40.5	Stable
149	Costa Rica	40.4	Stable
150	Czechia	40.2	Stable
151	Lithuania	39.4	More Stable
152	Estonia	38.6	More Stable
153	Mauritius	38	More Stable
154	Slovakia	37.8	More Stable
155	United Arab Emirates	37	More Stable
156	Uruguay	34.4	More Stable
157	Malta	33	More Stable
158	South Korea	31.5	More Stable
159	Belgium	31.4	More Stable
160	Japan	30.5	More Stable
161	France	28.8	Sustainable
162	Slovenia	27.3	Sustainable
163	Portugal	25.7	Sustainable
164	Singapore	25.5	Sustainable
165	Germany	24.6	Sustainable
166	Austria	24.4	Sustainable
167	Australia	22	Sustainable
168	Netherlands	21	Sustainable
169	Sweden	20.6	Sustainable
170	Ireland	19.5	Very sustainable
170	Luxembourg	19.5	Very sustainable
172	Canada	18.9	Very sustainable
173	Denmark	17.9	Very sustainable
174	Switzerland	17.8	Very sustainable
175	New Zealand	16.7	Very sustainable
176	Finland	16	Very sustainable
177	Iceland	15.7	Very sustainable
178	Norway	14.5	Very sustainable

What correlates with Failed States Index (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,421 other country metrics sharing at least 107 countries, 1 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Failed States Index tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

Vulnerability Score (lower is better)Countries that Still Have Slavery
r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 156
Plot
Vulnerability ScoreGlobal Slavery Index by Country
r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 155
Plot
Gender Inequality Index ScoreGender Inequality Index by Country
r = +0.84 · very strong · n = 162
Plot
Individuals Making Under $10kWealth Inequality by Country
r = +0.83 · very strong · n = 163
Plot
% of Pop. Living on Less Than $10 USD/DayPoverty Rate by Country
r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 151
Plot
Mismanaged Waste IndexPlastic Pollution by Country
r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 177
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Failed States Index tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

Legatum Prosperity RankLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 164
Plot
OpportunitySocial Progress Index by Country
r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 166
Plot
WJP Rule of Law Index Overall ScoreWorld Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index
r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 136
Plot
Social Progress IndexSocial Progress Index by Country
r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 167
Plot
Women, Peace and Security Index (WPSI)Most Dangerous Countries for Women
r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 171
Plot
Foundations & WellbeingSocial Progress Index by Country
r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 166
Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Failed States Index?: Somalia has the highest Failed States Index in 2023, at 111.9, followed by Yemen (108.9) and South Sudan (108.5).
Which country has the lowest Failed States Index?: Norway has the lowest Failed States Index in 2023, at 14.5.
What is the median Failed States Index across countries?: The median is 68.75 across the 178 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this failed states data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Fragile States Index - 2023; State, Nation and Nation-State: Clarifying Misused Terminology - Penn State Department of Geography; Differences Between a Country, State, and Nation - Thought Co.; State, Country, and Nation - Infoplease.