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Failed States 2023

Although it has a slightly different secondary meaning in countries such as the United States, in a global political context, the term state is essentially a synonym for country. For example, the United Nations includes 195 sovereign states: 193 fully recognized countries and two non-member observer states. A failed state is the term used to describe a state whose government has lost control of its territory, economy, and people. A state that is unstable but has not yet fully failed is called a fragile state.

Failed states are often among the world's least-developed countries, with a low Human Development Index score. Many are also war torn or currently at war, and frequently rank among the world's most dangerous countries. As a result, failed states are often considered some of the world's worst countries to live in or to visit. A failed state struggles to implement public policies, build effective infrastructure, and protect civil liberties and human rights. Residents of a failed state have little physical security and lack the benefits that come from stable political and economic systems.

Characteristics of a failed state:

There is no official, universally accepted definition of a failed state. However, most every definition includes certain common, often intertwined characteristics:

  • Decreased ability to defend national boundaries — Territory can be taken over by criminal gangs, rebellious insurgents, or invading military forces from another state.
  • Decreased ability to police its territory — Government no longer holds a monopoly on the use of physical force to deter crime and protect the public. Corruption, crime, and lawlessness often increase.
  • Decreased public services — State-sponsored services deteriorate, including health care, public education, infrastructure such as roads and utilities, and police/fire departments.
  • Decreased economic stability — Unemployment rises, inflation skyrockets, currency loses value both domestically and internationally, tax revenue is lost and economic crimes often go unpunished.
  • Decreased legitimacy — Overall trust in the government and its ability diminishes, both domestically among the state's citizens and internationally among other states.

Not all failed states cease to exist. While many failed states are absorbed into another, more stable state, many more are either reformed with a stronger government or manage to linger for years, even generations, during which time living conditions for their citizens often continue to deteriorate. This possibility, combined with the lack of an official definition of a failed state, means there is no universally accepted list of which states are failed states and which are not. In fact, at least a few analysts argue that the very idea of a failed state, much like the idea of race, is a fictional concept invented for political/social gain.

That said, one of the most well-known methods of determining whether a would-be country is a failed or fragile state is the Fragile States Index (FSI) published by the non-profit Fund for Peace. To create the FSI, the Fund for Peace measures each country's performance in more than 100 sub-indicators, which it compiles into a dozen indicators including Security Apparatus, Economic Decline, Human Rights and Rule of Law, and Public Services. Those twelve metrics are then combined into a single score that ranges from 0 (least fragile) to 120 (most fragile). The FSI stops short of designating a specific score at which a state goes from fragile to failed, but assigns a failure warning to any country whose score is between 60 and 89 and places an alert on countries that score 90 or higher.

Top 10 Failed States by FSI Score (2022)*:

Reasons why states become failed states

States can fail for a number of reasons. One major cause of state failure is a predatory and/or corrupt government, which acts in the best interests of a small group of people (the ruling class) rather than the citizenry as a whole. Additional possible reasons include civil wars (particularly those driven by religious extremism), genocide, and ethnic violence.

Some of the states most in danger of failing due to government corruption include Nicaragua, Brazil, Sudan, and North Korea. States including Libya, Iraq, Pakistan and Siberia are in danger of failing due to civil unrest and rebellion. Nigeria and Nepal are at risk because of democratic collapse, and states including Iraq, Yemen and Turkey are in danger because of ongoing religious and ethnic conflicts.

Note: Fragile States Index (FSI) scores range from 0 to 120. Higher scores indicate a country more at risk of becoming a failed state (or which may already be considered failed).

Download Table Data

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Country
2022 FSI Score
FSI Rank
FSI Category
Yemen111.71Very High Alert
Somalia110.52Very High Alert
Syria108.43High Alert
South Sudan108.44High Alert
Central African Republic108.15High Alert
DR Congo107.36High Alert
Sudan107.17High Alert
Afghanistan105.98High Alert
Chad105.79High Alert
Myanmar10010High Alert
Haiti99.711Alert
Guinea99.612Alert
Ethiopia99.313Alert
Mali98.614Alert
Zimbabwe97.815Alert
Nigeria97.216Alert
Cameroon9617Alert
Eritrea95.918Alert
Burundi95.419Alert
Niger95.220Alert
Mozambique94.322Alert
Libya94.321Alert
Iraq93.823Alert
Republic of the Congo92.224Alert
Uganda92.125Alert
Venezuela91.626Alert
Lebanon91.328Alert
Burkina Faso90.529Alert
Pakistan89.730High Warning
Ivory Coast89.631High Warning
North Korea89.132High Warning
Kenya88.234High Warning
Liberia88.233High Warning
Angola88.135High Warning
Mauritania87.936High Warning
Palestine85.637High Warning
Bangladesh84.538High Warning
Iran84.140High Warning
Equatorial Guinea84.139High Warning
Rwanda83.741High Warning
Egypt83.642High Warning
Zambia83.643High Warning
Togo83.644High Warning
Malawi8345High Warning
Sierra Leone82.446High Warning
Comoros82.347High Warning
Djibouti81.348High Warning
Nepal80.649High Warning
Philippines80.551High Warning
Cambodia80.550High Warning
Madagascar80.452High Warning
Eswatini80.453High Warning
Solomon Islands80.454High Warning
Papua New Guinea79.555Elevated Warning
Sri Lanka79.356Elevated Warning
Timor Leste79.357Elevated Warning
Honduras78.758Elevated Warning
Gambia78.659Elevated Warning
Colombia78.460Elevated Warning
Tanzania78.261Elevated Warning
Turkey78.162Elevated Warning
Nicaragua77.763Elevated Warning
Guatemala77.564Elevated Warning
Lesotho77.465Elevated Warning
Kyrgyzstan77.166Elevated Warning
Jordan76.667Elevated Warning
Laos75.568Elevated Warning
India75.369Elevated Warning
Tajikistan7570Elevated Warning
Brazil73.971Elevated Warning
Bolivia73.472Elevated Warning
Azerbaijan73.173Elevated Warning
Bosnia and Herzegovina7374Elevated Warning
Russia72.675Elevated Warning
Benin72.576Elevated Warning
Algeria72.277Elevated Warning
Senegal72.178Elevated Warning
South Africa7279Elevated Warning
Georgia71.880Elevated Warning
Micronesia7181Elevated Warning
El Salvador70.882Elevated Warning
Sao Tome and Principe70.483Elevated Warning
Mexico70.384Elevated Warning
Morocco70.185Elevated Warning
Thailand7086Elevated Warning
Peru69.887Warning
Uzbekistan69.688Warning
Ecuador69.189Warning
Fiji68.990Warning
Belarus68.791Warning
Ukraine68.692Warning
Tunisia68.293Warning
Serbia67.894Warning
Saudi Arabia67.595Warning
Bhutan67.496Warning
Armenia6797Warning
China66.998Warning
Gabon66.799Warning
Indonesia66.6101Warning
Bahrain66.6100Warning
Turkmenistan66.5102Warning
Paraguay65.4103Warning
Samoa64.8104Warning
Moldova64.5106Warning
Maldives64.5105Warning
Guyana64.2107Warning
Ghana63108Warning
Namibia62.9109Warning
Dominican Republic62.8110Warning
North Macedonia62.6111Warning
Jamaica62.1112Warning
Belize62.1113Warning
Vietnam60.9115Warning
Suriname60.8116Warning
Cuba60.1117Warning
Kazakhstan59.5118Stable
Montenegro57.9119Stable
Cyprus56.9120Stable
Albania56.7121Stable
Malaysia56.4122Stable
Botswana56.1123Stable
Greece55.8124Stable
Grenada54.3126Stable
Seychelles54.2128Stable
Antigua and Barbuda54.2127Stable
Trinidad and Tobago52.4129Stable
Kuwait52.2130Stable
Bulgaria51.6131Stable
Mongolia51.6132Stable
Romania50.8134Stable
Hungary50.8133Stable
Bahamas50.6135Stable
Oman49.5136More Stable
Croatia49.3137More Stable
Argentina47.9138More Stable
Panama47.5139More Stable
United States46.6140More Stable
Barbados45.9141More Stable
Spain44.4142More Stable
Italy43.4143More Stable
Chile43.2144More Stable
Latvia42.8145More Stable
Israel42.6146More Stable
Qatar42.3147More Stable
Poland42.2148More Stable
Costa Rica41149More Stable
United Kingdom40.6150More Stable
Czech Republic39.9151Very Stable
United Arab Emirates39.1152Very Stable
Lithuania38.6153Very Stable
Mauritius37.9154Very Stable
Estonia37.7155Very Stable
Slovakia37.1156Very Stable
Uruguay35.2157Very Stable
Malta34.7158Very Stable
South Korea32.7159Very Stable
Belgium31.9160Very Stable
Japan31161Very Stable
France30.9162Very Stable
Slovenia27.7163Sustainable
Portugal27.5164Sustainable
Singapore25.8165Sustainable
Austria25.4166Sustainable
Germany23.6167Sustainable
Australia22.7168Sustainable
Netherlands22.1169Sustainable
Sweden20.9170Sustainable
Ireland20.8171Sustainable
Canada20.1172Sustainable
Luxembourg20173Sustainable
Switzerland18.9174Very Sustainable
Denmark18.1175Very Sustainable
New Zealand17.5176Very Sustainable
Iceland17.1177Very Sustainable
Norway15.6178Very Sustainable
Finland15.1179Very Sustainable
showing: 176 rows

What are examples of failed states?

Some examples of failed states include Yemen, Somalia, Syria, South Dusan, Central African Republic, Dr Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Chad, and Myanmar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources