Index Tools
Apply standardized rankings to compare across geographies and time
These rankings incorporate data, observations, and analysis focused on an issue that is difficult to directly measure (such as “peace,” “state fragility,” or “ocean health”). These tools are typically updated annually, and those updates serve as newsworthy events to frame how countries have changed their rankings and how they compare to one another. Transparency of methodology and credibility of the organization are crucial for these tools, as they boil nations down to a single ranking. For example, the Ocean Health Index gains credibility because it was built on an open-source framework developed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists, and Global Peace Watch does so by letting users drill down to see the details of the data underlying the ranking.
| Tool Name | Climate Change | Conflict and State Instability | Natural Resource Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Health Index | ✔ | ||
| Worldwide Governance Indicators | ✔ | ||
| Fragile States Index | ✔ | ||
| Corruption Perceptions Index | ✔ | ||
| Global Peace Watch | ✔ |
Ocean Health Index
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Sea Around Us, Conservation International, National Geographic, and the New England Aquarium 1
An index that maps the level of achievement of widely accepted socio-ecological goals and scores for 220 countries and territories, Antarctica, and 15 High Seas regions.
There are 10 main goals in the index, including food provision, coastal economies, and coastal protection.
Visit the tool here: www.oceanhealthindex.org
Worldwide Governance Indicators
The World Bank2
A collection of indicators that ranks six broad dimensions of governance for more than 200 countries and territories over the period 1996-2016.
The six indicators are voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption.
Visit the tool here: info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi
Fragile States Index
The Fund for Peace3
An index of twelve conflict risk indicators that measure the condition of a state over time.
The index uses qualitative and quantitative measures to assess the vulnerability of states to collapse across pre-conflict, active conflict, and post-conflict situations.
Visit the tool here: global.fundforpeace.org/index
Corruption Perceptions Index
Transparency International4
An annual composite indicator based on 13 surveys, rankings, indices, and assessments to measure perceptions of public sector corruption in different countries around the world.
Visit the tool here: www.transparency.org
Global Peace Watch
Vision of Humanity 5
An annual index of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators that measures the state of peace across three domains: safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and degree of militarization.
The tool allows the user to view detailed information on each country and indicator.
Visit the tool here: visionofhumanity.org/indexes/global-peace-index
Citations
- A collaboration of U.S.-based independent research, advocacy, and educational institutions, diversely funded.
- An international financial institution with 189 member countries.
- An independent U.S.-based research and educational organization focused on conflict prevention funded by corporations, governments, foundations, and individuals.
- An independent anti-corruption organization headquartered in Germany with 100 local chapters worldwide, funded by governments, corporations, foundations, and international organizations.
- A project of the Institute for Economics and Peace, and Australia-based independent research organization funded by an individual donor.