StIx Index 2023: Germany Climbs to Fourth Place

04/29/2024

How well do the countries of the world function? Researchers at the University of Würzburg are investigating this. In the latest edition of this ranking, Germany has improved its position, while six countries are considered to have collapsed.

The Stateness Index lists 174 countries, 94 of which are considered to be defective to varying degrees. (Image: arhendrix / generiert mit KI)

Singapore continues to be the best-performing country in the world, followed by Estonia and Denmark; Germany improves from tenth to fourth place. Libya, Yemen and Haiti occupy the last places in the ranking: these are the results from the second data set of the Stateness Index StIx and the accompanying StIx Report 2023. The list provides information on the status quo of statehood of 174 states worldwide, including deteriorations and improvements between 2022 and 2023.

Hospitals where you can get an appointment quickly; a functioning judicial system; a rubbish collection service that comes regularly: all of these are the hallmarks of a well-functioning state. Accordingly, the report analyses a variety of factors from the judicial, executive and administrative spheres. Theresa Paola Stawski and Hans-Joachim Lauth from the Institute of Political Science at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) are responsible for the project; Stawski is a research associate at the Chair of Comparative Politics and Systems Theory, Lauth is a senior professor and former holder of this chair.

More Than Half of the States Are Considered Fragile

As the recently published report shows, in 2023 a total of 94 out of 174 states are defective to varying degrees, with six states categorised as non-functional or collapsed. However, although this means that more than half of all states are considered fragile, the balance from 2022 to 2023 is slightly positive: the research team was able to identify improvements in 92 states, while statehood deteriorated in 78 states, particularly in Suriname and Burundi. Significant improvements can be found in Tanzania, Azerbaijan and Tunisia, for example.

StIx is an instrument for measuring statehood, based on data from the Varieties of Democracy project. The institutional understanding of the state on which the measurement of StIx is based conceptualises the state as a social and political system of rule that has a monopoly on the rule of law, a monopoly on the use of force and a monopoly on administration, with which the singular and hierarchical claim to rule within a certain territory is enforced and maintained over the people living there.

Data for Around 170 Countries Since 1950

As part of the research project, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), annual data has been generated for around 170 countries since 1950, resulting in a comprehensive dataset that can be visualised on the homepage, edited according to your own selection criteria and downloaded. Explanations of the data set, selection of indicators and aggregation methods can also be found on the homepage. The homepage not only allows users to track the development of countries since 1950, but also to view profiles of the countries in order to gain a deeper understanding of their functioning.

The results of the measurement can now be viewed on the website www.stateness-index.org. The website is aimed at researchers, political practitioners, students and interested members of the public. With its online analysis tools, the website also offers the opportunity to explore the world of states and analyse specific state profiles as well as trends and regional distribution patterns.