The Fragile States Index has ranked countries on their “peacefulness”, with South Sudan being seen as the most “fragile” state.
Mauritius is ranked as the least fragile country in Africa, and 148th in the world index – it has held this title since 2005.
Put together by U.S. funded think thank, Fund for Peace, the index ranks countries per their vulnerability to collapse and is based upon twelve key political, social and economic indicators: Security Apparatus; Factionalised Elites; Group Grievance; Economic Decline; Uneven Economic Development; Human Flight and Brain Drain; State Legitimacy; Public Services; Human Rights and Rule of Law; Demographic Pressures; Refugees and IDPs; and External Intervention.
Following a system known as the Conflict Assessment System Tool, or CAST, each indicator collectively attributes to the country’s overall ranking, and provides a snapshot in time that can be measured against other previous assessments to determine whether conditions are improving or worsening in that state.
These indicators are then rated out of 10, the higher the number the more fragile the state’s indicator.
Many African countries are considered less stable because of their social, political, economic and demographic vulnerability.
South Sudan scored high in all the indicators, giving it the highest fragility rate. The country was then followed by Somalia, Central African Republic, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Guinea, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
At the other end of the continent’s ranking, Mauritius stood as most stable, and was followed by the Seychelles, Botswana, Ghana, Cape Verde, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Gabon and Tunisia.
South Sudan also ranked most fragile in the world for “State Legitimacy” and “Human Rights and Rule of Law”, along with North Korea.
178 countries were ranked overall, with Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland ranking as the most stable.
Find out where your country ranks here.
