Pakistan has been ranked 10th among the top ten failed states in the world, according to Foreign Policy Journal’s index for 2009. Last year, Pakistan remained the 9th failed state on the same index and dropping to the tenth place may be an indicator of a bit of improvement. Alternatively, it may indicate deterioration in the status of Guinea, which now ranks ninth on the latest index.

The indexing for countries is based on the research compiled by the Foreign Policy Journal and the Fund for Peace. The ranking is based on different factors like population pressure, economy, human rights, group grievances, external intervention, and refugees or displaced people etc. Pakistan’s neighboring country India stands 87th on the index of 177 countries, which are being studied. But other neighbors of Pakistan are not doing well. Sri Lanka stands close to Pakistan, i.e. 12th, and Bangladesh as 19th while Nepal ranks 25th.

The index’s end ranking represents the countries achieving the most over the course of the years. The latest index shows Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Ireland as the top 5 achievers. The top nine failed states, from first to last, are listed as: Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Chad, Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, and Guinea. Pakistan comes tenth.