Fragile State Index (FSI)
The Fragile State Index (FSI) published annually by the Fund for Peace is a report that monitors a country’s vulnerability and potential for conflict or collapse. Rankings are based on 12 factors:
- Demographic Pressures
- Economic Decline and Poverty
- External Intervention
- Factionalized Elites
- Group Grievance
- Human Flight and Brain Drain
- Human Rights and Rule of Law
- Public Services
- Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Security Apparatus
- State Legitimacy
- Uneven Economic Development
The data of these 12 factors are then broken down into four categories describing a state’s vulnerability to collapse or conflict:
- Sustainable
- Stable
- Warning
- Alert
The FSI is an important tool for policy analyzers and those involved in politics as it gives an insight into potential flashpoints and risk factors for countries. However, it is important to note that the FSI does not provide predictions as to when states may experience collapse or violence as it does not measure rate of change.
References:
Carlsen, L., & Bruggemann, R. (2016). Fragile state index: Trends and developments. A partial order data analysis. Social Indicators Research, 133(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1353-y
Fund for Peace. (2021). Fragile states index | the fund for peace. Fragilestatesindex.Org. https://fragilestatesindex.org
WORLD POPULATION REVIEW. (2026). Fragile states index 2021. Worldpopulationreview.Com. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/fragile-states-index