The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2009

The Fund for Peace has ranked troubled countries that are in danger of collapse. The countries are ranked according to 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators, including economic decline and inequality, demographic pressures, war, and corruption. A failed state is defined as "one in which the government does not have effective control of its territory, is not perceived as legitimate by a significant portion of its population, does not provide domestic security or basic public services to its citizens, and lacks a monopoly on the use of force." The index covers countries at risk, not countries that have already failed. Below are the top 20 most vulnerable countries.

  •  1. Somalia
  •  2. Zimbabwe
  •  3. Sudan
  •  4. Chad
  •  5. Dem. Rep. of the Congo
  •  6. Iraq
  •  7. Afghanistan
  •  8. Central Africn Republic
  •  9. Guinea
  • 10. Pakistan
  • 11. Côte d'Ivoire
  • 12. Haiti
  • 13. Burma
  • 14. Kenya
  • 15. Nigeria
  • 16. Ethiopia
  • 17. North Korea
  • 18. Yemen
  • 19. Bangladesh
  • 20. East Timor
Source: Foreign Policy: The Failed States Index. Web: www.foreignpolicy.com, 2009.

Information Please® Database, © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2009 Political Statistics The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2007
The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2009

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