Countries with the highest political instability worldwide 2023| ��ƽ��

Ranking of the countries with the highest political instability worldwide in 2023

Characteristic	Index Value (-2.5 - 2.5
Syrian Arab Republic	-2.75
Mali	-2.73
Yemen, Rep.	-2.56
Afghanistan	-2.48
Sudan	-2.47
Iraq	-2.41
Somalia	-2.38
Central African Republic	-2.2
South Sudan	-2.19
Libya	-2.17
Myanmar	-2.13
Congo, Dem. Rep.	-2.04
Burkina Faso	-2.04
Ethiopia	-1.97
Pakistan	-1.93
West Bank and Gaza	-1.87
Nigeria	-1.77
Iran, Islamic Rep.	-1.69
Niger	-1.67
Chad	-1.56

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Release date

July 2025

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Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2023

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Estimates

Supplementary notes

The index estimates the level of political stability and absence of violence and terrorism in a country based on the probability of political instability, politically-motivated violence, and terrorism are to occur. Countries are ranked on a scale from around minus 2.5 to 2.5, with a higher score indicating more political stability.

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Syria, with a score of minus 2.75, was ranked as the politically least stable country worldwide in 2023 ahead of Iraq and Somalia. The country has been riddled by civil war since 2012, with the Syrian government battling a range of different factions.

Syrian Civil War has resulted in large number of refugees

The ongoing fighting and resulting instability in Syria has led to 6.2 million people fleeing the country, making it the largest source country of refugees worldwide. Over half of the Syrian refugees today live in neighboring Turkey.

Fragile State Index

Another way of measuring political stability is the Fragile States Index compiled annually by the Fund for Peace. In 2024, Somalia was ranked as the most fragile state ahead of Sudan. The index measures state fragility on a range of economic, social, and political indicators.