This is a list of countries by order of appearance in the Failed States Index of the United States think-tank Fund for Peace. A failed state has several attributes. Common indicators include a state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; sharp economic decline. Since 2005, the index has been published annually by the Fund for Peace and the magazine Foreign Policy. The list has been cited by journalists and academics in making broad comparative points about countries or regions.
Change in rank from 2011 is shown in parentheses and the three table headings correspond to those used by the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine. This is the current list for 2012.
The report uses 12 factors to determine the rating for each nation including security threats, economic implosion, human rights violations and refugee flows.
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—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
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—Bible: Hebrew, Proverbs 18:17.
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