Based on the 2024 Fragile States Index, the 5 most fragile countries, facing severe instability, conflict, and governance challenges, are Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), with Somalia at the top. These nations consistently rank highest due to factors like internal conflicts, displacement, economic issues, and political instability, as measured by The Fund for Peace's.
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In the early 2020s, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen have all been described as failed states.
South Sudan is widely considered the poorest country in the world in 2025-2026, consistently ranking first due to extremely low GDP per capita and a high percentage (over 80%) of its population living in extreme poverty, driven by prolonged civil conflict, displacement, and disruption of its agricultural economy. Other nations frequently cited as among the poorest include Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Yemen, also suffering from conflict and instability.
Finally (and least disastrously), some countries had stayed whole and just accepted a new name. Austria-Hungary, Bengal, and Burma are some of the most popular countries that have ceased to exist in 2022.
The richest country by GDP (PPP) per capita is often cited as Singapore, followed closely by Luxembourg, depending on the specific report and year, with Singapore leading in 2025 estimates with around $156,000-$157,000 per person, while Luxembourg is a strong contender just below that, highlighting small, finance-heavy economies as wealthiest per person.
No, the United States is larger than Australia overall, but Australia is comparable in size to the contiguous (lower 48) U.S. states, making it seem very large, with the U.S. having about 9.8 million km² and Australia around 7.7 million km². While the U.S. is the world's third or fourth largest country, Australia is the sixth largest and a massive landmass, about 28% smaller than the whole U.S.
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And here are the 10 least-safe based on the data.
Iceland: As a NATO member, it has no standing army and relies on alliances for defense. Mauritius: Maintains a special police force for its security. Panama: Abolished its military after a civil war in the late 1980s and uses its public forces for security.
As it has been since 2019, Switzerland was the freest country in the world, followed by New Zealand (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Luxembourg (4th), Ireland (5th), Finland (6th), Australia, Iceland and Sweden (tied at 7th), and Estonia. Canada was in 11th place and the United States and United Kingdom were tied at 17th.
The economy of India is a developing mixed economy with a notable public sector in strategic sectors. It is the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP); on a per capita income basis, India ranked 136th by nominal GDP and 119th by PPP-adjusted GDP.
According to Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report, the average wealth of Australian households was $628,000 per adult in 2020, the fourth highest in the world behind Switzerland, the United States and Hong Kong (North America as shown on the graph refers to the region, as does Asia-Pacific and Europe).
Australia is the planet's sixth largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil.
For some of the world's countries, the answer is very, very small, even teeny tiny. Vatican City holds the title as the world's smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is almost 39 million times bigger.
South Sudan holds the title of the poorest country in the world in 2026, with a GDP-PPP per capita of $455. The nation faces significant challenges due to political instability, ongoing conflicts, and economic dependency on oil.
Kiribati, specifically its Line Islands (like Kiritimati), is the first country to celebrate the New Year, followed closely by Samoa, Tonga, and New Zealand's Chatham Islands, all thanks to their location just west of the International Date Line. These Pacific island nations usher in January 1st hours before most other countries, making them the first to welcome the new year.
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