Fragile States: Pakistan less so but still under 'high alert'

Pakistan was ranked 13th just above Iraq and Haiti while South Sudan topped the list for the second time

While Pakistan managed to improve its ranking on Fragile States Index 2015 by three places from 10 to 13, but could not avoid being listed in the ‘high alert’ category.

In the recently released survey, which was renamed from ‘Failed States Index’ the last time it was carried out by Fund for Peace -- a Washington based research organisation -- ranked Pakistan on 13, just above Iraq and Haiti, with a score of 102.9.

The highest contributors to Pakistan's score were group greiviance (10), security aparatus (9.6), external intervention (9.3), factionalised elites (9.2) and demographic pressures (9.0).



South Sudan topped the list for the second time. Afghanistan was ranked eighth on the list while India fell 13 places from 81 to 68.

It made special mentions for Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq for their continued domestic strife, whereas Cuba was listed as the ‘most improved country of the decade’.

Read: On ‘high alert’: Pakistan listed 10th on fragile states index

Pakistan had been ranked 13th in 2013 on the list which collated data from 12 indicators including demographic pressures, refugees and internally displaced persons, group grievance, human flight and brain drain, uneven economic development, poverty and economic decline.

The index categorises countries according to a spectrum of warnings, ranging from ‘very high alert’ to ‘very sustainable’ – Pakistan is described as a state on ‘high alert’.

“We won’t be seeing any countries turning their economies around overnight if they are facing demographic pressures or have huge political concerns, like corruption or human rights abuse,” remarked the Fund’s Executive Director Krista Hendry.