U.S. ranks 24th among world’s most stable countries
- posted:08 Apr. 2008
- scrollnews@byui.edu
The United States ranks 24th most stable nation in the world in a recent study done by Jane’s Information Group, a political risk firm based in the United Kingdom.
According to the firm’s Web site, www.janes.com, the study “uses multiple weighted factors affecting country stability in distinct categories: political, social, economic, external and military and security.” The study took over a year, and every nation in the world was scored on a scale of 100.
According to Christian Le Miere, a spokesman for Jane’s, the United States has dropped in the rankings because of a porous southern border dispute with Mexico and the number of small arms owned by U.S. citizens.
Some BYU-I students may not be shocked by the United States’ ranking.
“Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me that much. I can see a current trend of declining morals within America and a declining economy. We are still the world hegemon, but for how long?” said Marcus Noorda, a senior studying business management.
The Vatican was ranked as the most stable nation in the world, although Le Miere admitted that The Vatican doesn’t face the traditional struggles within other nations of the world. Sweden ranked as the second most stable nation and is the first most stable when compared with similar nations. Western Europe claimed 22 out of the 25 most stable nations.
Sweden currently has the greatest equality in the world, according to the CIA Gini Index. The Gini Index is used to measure the dispersion of income in a given nation. A score of 0 indicates perfect equality, while a score of 100 indicates absolute inequality. Sweden scored a 23 on the Gini Index. Comparatively, the United States scored 45.
To some BYU-I students, the fact that the United States isn’t the most stable nation doesn’t seem a concern. “Although we’re not as high as other countries, I don’t think it’s likely that our government will [fail]. I think if any catastrophe did happen, we have the human and natural resources to handle it,” said Luke Alley, a sophomore studying business management.
The least stable nation in the world is the Palestinian territories — the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Seven out of the 10 least stable nations are in Africa.
Iraq is the 24th least stable nation, despite the heavy internal violence. 
