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      • E1: Economic Decline
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Measuring Fragility

Risk and Vulnerability
in 179 Countries

Learn How

  • Country Data

    Take a deep-dive into the indicator-level and trend data for 179 countries on the Fragile States Index.
    Read More

  • Analysis

    Read the analysis of our data from this year's Fragile States Index as well as previous years
    Read More

  • Methodology

    Understand the unique methodology that leverages complex content analysis, triangulated with quantitative and qualitative data
    Read More
  • 1

 

 
  • Data
    • Global Data
    • Country Dashboard
    • Comparative Analysis
    • Trends
      • Five-Year Trends
      • Decade Trends
    • Heat Map
    • Download Data
    • myFSI Interactive Country Analysis
  • Analysis
    • Analysis - 2021
    • Analysis - 2020
    • Analysis - 2019
    • Analysis - 2018
    • Analysis - 2017
    • Publications and Downloads
  • Indicators
    • Cohesion Indicators
      • C1: Security Apparatus
      • C2: Factionalized Elites
      • C3: Group Grievance
    • Economic Indicators
      • E1: Economic Decline
      • E2: Uneven Economic Development
      • E3: Human Flight and Brain Drain
    • Political Indicators
      • P1: State Legitimacy
      • P2: Public Services
      • P3: Human Rights and Rule of Law
    • Social Indicators
      • S1: Demographic Pressures
      • S2: Refugees and IDPs
    • Cross-Cutting Indicators
      • X1: External Intervention
  • About
    • Methodology
    • FAQ
    • The Fund for Peace
    • Contact Us
    • Support Us
    • Donate
  • Download Data in Excel Format
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Fragility in the World 2021

Highlights of the 2021 Index

"If there’s one thing that 2020 taught us it’s that if we prepare for a health crisis as if it were only a health crisis, then we miss the boat. We learned that when a shock hits, as important as a strong economy might be; or even a good health system, or infrastructure, a necessary precondition for resilience is a stock of social capital. A country that cannot take collective action, a population that cannot make shared sacrifices, a country where there’s no collective buy-in to a national strategy, cannot be resilient, no matter how good the economy is or how many doctors or ventilators you might have."
Nate Haken, Programs Director
The country which saw the largest year-on-year worsening in their total score in the 2021 FSI is the United States. Over the past year, the US saw the largest protests in the country’s history in response to police violence which were often met by a heavy-handed state reaction along with sustained efforts to delegitimize the election process, which escalated violently in early 2021. Despite the country’s abundant material wealth and an advanced health system, political polarization, a lack of social cohesion, Congressional gridlock, and misinformation contributed to a failed response that left over 350,000 dead by the end of the year and a steeper contraction in GDP than any time in the past 60 years.
The country which experienced the largest improvement in its total score on the 2021 FSI is Timor-Leste. One of the youngest countries in the world, Timor-Leste has seen a steady long-term trend of improvement for over a decade and in 2020 the country demonstrated its increased resilience, recording no confirmed deaths from COVID-19 over the entire year. While the country, which is heavily dependent on oil revenues, did see a sharp economic contraction, proactive unified political action together with broad social solidarity have produced impressive results in containing the pandemic. The second most improved country was The Gambia, which has also continued a sustained trend of improvement beginning with FSI 2018.

Fragile States Index 2021 Launch Event

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partners
The Fund for Peace, with our partner International Alert, held a global virtual event Thursday, May 20 that brought together leading experts on issues of fragility and resilience to discuss how COVID-19 has affected countries in 2020 and how they can emerge from the crisis stronger and more resilient. The event was held in conjunction with – and informed by – the launch of the 2021 Fragile States Index, a data-based policy tool that has for 16 years been a leading measure of political, social, and economic pressures of 179 countries.

Click Here to learn more.


Our Analysis

  • A Health Crisis Is More Than A Health Crisis

    A Health Crisis Is More Than A Health Crisis

    As 2020 came to a close, the world looked back on a global pandemic, protests, lockdowns, and economic turmoil. Looking…
    Read More
  • A Booming Economy Will Not Save Us: The US Needs to Deal with its Polarization Problem

    A Booming Economy Will Not Save Us: The US Needs to Deal with its Polarization Problem

    If the FSI’s 17-year history is any indication, a global shock comes around about once every 15 years or so.…
    Read More
  • COVID and Political Extremism in Spain and Germany: Two Different Paths

    COVID and Political Extremism in Spain and Germany: Two Different Paths

    As the Syria refugee crisis escalated in 2015, an incipient movement of right-wing nationalism gained traction across Europe, including Germany.
    Read More
  • Rising Authoritarianism in El Salvador: What Happens After the Crisis

    Rising Authoritarianism in El Salvador: What Happens After the Crisis

    Even as COVID-19 struck, the very popular new El Salvadorian president, Nayib Bukele, was taking a hardline approach to dealing…
    Read More
  • The Shattering of Abiymania

    The Shattering of Abiymania

    In 2020, Ethiopia’s latent fragilities exploded in a complex array of conflicts along pre-existing fault lines across the country.
    Read More
  • A Thawing Conflict Brings a Reversal of Fortune in Armenia

    A Thawing Conflict Brings a Reversal of Fortune in Armenia

    In the 2021 Fragile States Index, among the countries that experienced the greatest increases in fragility, issues of group-based identity…
    Read More
  • Turning Up the Heat: Climate Change, Fragility, and Conflict

    Turning Up the Heat: Climate Change, Fragility, and Conflict

    The conflict and fragility landscape is getting increasingly complex as the influence of non-state actors, technology and renewed geopolitical competition…
    Read More
  • Searching for Hope in Lebanon's Compounding Crises

    Searching for Hope in Lebanon's Compounding Crises

    Since the nationwide protest movement that swept the country in October 2019, Lebanon – the country and its people – has been…
    Read More
  • Towards Inclusive Employment for Peace

    Towards Inclusive Employment for Peace

    Unemployment, underemployment, and informal work remain significant challenges for the Horn of Africa.
    Read More
  • Young and Resilient: Timor-Leste in the Time of COVID-19

    Young and Resilient: Timor-Leste in the Time of COVID-19

    When the Global Health Security Index was released in late October 2019, barely more than a month before COVID-19 infected…
    Read More

Our Partner Coverage

  • Ten Humanitarian Crises and Trends to Watch in 2019

    Ten Humanitarian Crises and Trends to Watch in 2019

    These 10 crises and trends will help shape our coverage in 2019. Here’s why they have our attention and should demand yours.
    Read More
  • Venezuela: Millions at Risk, at Home and Abroad

    Venezuela: Millions at Risk, at Home and Abroad

    A collection of our recent reporting.
    Read More
  • In South Sudan, a ‘War on Civilians’ Despite Supposed Peace

    In South Sudan, a ‘War on Civilians’ Despite Supposed Peace

    “It’s becoming very hard to survive”
    Read More
  • First Person: Bringing Aid to My Neighbours in Hodeidah Just Got Harder

    First Person: Bringing Aid to My Neighbours in Hodeidah Just Got Harder

    Read More
  • ‘Always Looking at the Sky’: Life Amidst Somalia’s Flood Waters

    ‘Always Looking at the Sky’: Life Amidst Somalia’s Flood Waters

    After drought, heavy rains and overflowing rivers bring new worries
    Read More
  • Ethiopia’s Neglected Crisis: No Easy Way Home for Doubly Displaced

    Ethiopia’s Neglected Crisis: No Easy Way Home for Doubly Displaced

    “Unless the government brings peace, we will die here”
    Read More

Support Our Work

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The Fragile States Index is supported by the generous contributions of people just like you. We provide our data -- now with 15 years' worth of trend data -- free of charge. Will you consider becoming one of our supporters, to ensure that our work can continue?

Your contribution to Fund for Peace goes a long way. As a small organization, we operate with minimal overhead and administration. 97% of our staff’s time is spent on designing and implementing programs that help to prevent conflict. By supporting Fund for Peace, you will be helping to support better informed and resourced responses to conflict. You will be helping to build the capacity of local communities in addressing their own challenges. And you will be helping to improve the safety and security of communities – and especially some of society’s most vulnerable people – that may face conflict and violence.

Fund for Peace is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States. That means your contribution may be tax-deductible.

Click Here to learn more.
AfPeacebuilding avatarAlliance for Peacebuilding@AfPeacebuilding·
13 May

Peace is not an endpoint, it's a process - one that requires flexibility, creativity, & working together. For tactics on how to boost communications on #peacebuilding, explore the new guide created by AfP in partnership w/ @FrameWorksInst & @PartnersGlobal:https://t.co/oqZIwtf9gD

intalert avatarInternational Alert@intalert·
4 May

Jessica Hartog (@intalert) and @joycekortlandt (@WetlandsInt) explain how quantitative and qualitative data can help to convene different stakeholders to water-related security risks.

Read more ⬇️
@WaterPeaceSec #EcosystemForPeace
https://t.co/DAt0zP2dBk

USAID avatarUSAID@USAID·
3 May

On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we recognize the many fearless journalists around the world who continue to keep citizens informed while confronting risks to their lives. https://t.co/yW8El2MYnF #endimpunity

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
22 Apr

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
18 Apr

Nkasi Wódu (@WoduNkasi) highlights the necessity for African countries to adopt non-military approaches to countering violent extremism #CVE
Read the blog here: https://t.co/QZfNMxIuhJ

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
15 Apr

See how the #FragileStateIndex was used to help understand the birth, death, and displacement rates reshaping nations' population in the 21st century--and how it can exacerbate contemporary issues. https://t.co/vUZgw1LBdv

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
13 Apr

During the period from 2011 to 2021 the #FragileStatesIndex noted Libya has one of the most worsened stability rates among 179 nations. As one of focus countries of the #GlobalFragilityAct, @USIP discusses the new plans to stabilize Libya and...... https://t.co/03OztHKTnX

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
1 Apr

We look forward to working with @AfPeacebuilding and it's partners to support #GFA implementation in these countries https://t.co/NgJKS5BXii

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
7 Apr

Thank you to everyone who joined yesterday's Human Rights and Business Roundtable! It was our honor to discuss the developments, challenges, and opportunities in Strategic and Rare Earth Minerals' #SupplyChains with key experts in the field. #HRBRT

fundforpeace avatarThe Fund for Peace@fundforpeace·
6 Apr

Starting in 10 minutes! 👇

Starting in 10 minutes! 👇
The Fund for Peace@fundforpeace

Don't forget to register for #HRBRT and join us tomorrow at 8:00am EDT to discuss the challenges and opportunities for ethical mineral #supplychains.
Register now: https://t.co/oBSrMxiD5b

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