Reported Social Unrest Index by country
This dataset provides two measures of social unrest derived from media reports. One is the “A” index from the paper, and the “events” series. Suggested citation: "Barrett, P., Appendino, M., Nguyen, K., & de Leon Miranda, J. (2022). Measuring social unrest using media reports. Journal of Development Economics, 158,...
Countries reporting
133
Highest
1,010
Somalia
Lowest
0
Kosovo
Median
24.28
Years covered
37
1990–2026
Data points
4,921
What the numbers show
Reported Social Unrest Index is currently reported for 133 countries. The highest value is 1,010 in Somalia; the lowest is 0 in Kosovo.
The median across all reporting countries is 24.28, and the mean is 88.48.
Over the past decade 31 countries rose and 54 fell. The largest increase was in Bulgaria (up 835.5%), and the largest decrease in Austria (down 100.0%).
Reported Social Unrest Index: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somalia | 1,010 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 2 | Colombia | 708.1 | 2026 | up 768.7% | volatile |
| 3 | Ghana | 698.74 | 2026 | up 300.9% | volatile |
| 4 | Jamaica | 538.38 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 5 | Tanzania | 420.48 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 6 | Senegal | 413.59 | 2026 | up 100.5% | volatile |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 397.09 | 2026 | up 56.9% | volatile |
| 8 | West Bank and Gaza | 372.64 | 2026 | up 284.2% | volatile |
| 9 | Bolivia | 356.44 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 10 | Kenya | 295.37 | 2026 | up 407.8% | volatile |
| 11 | United Arab Emirates | 294.76 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 12 | Bulgaria | 293.98 | 2026 | up 835.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Ireland | 277.18 | 2026 | up 52.7% | volatile |
| 14 | Hungary | 266.62 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 15 | Netherlands | 262.92 | 2026 | up 568.2% | volatile |
| 16 | Cameroon | 250.6 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 17 | Guatemala | 236.02 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 18 | Georgia | 226.63 | 2026 | up 256.4% | volatile |
| 19 | Slovenia | 210.36 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 20 | Armenia | 209.71 | 2026 | up 367.7% | volatile |
| 21 | Nepal | 207.36 | 2026 | up 568.2% | volatile |
| 22 | Israel | 195.96 | 2026 | up 46.1% | volatile |
| 23 | Australia | 186.88 | 2026 | up 62.3% | volatile |
| 24 | Denmark | 183.23 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 25 | Mexico | 163.83 | 2026 | up 501.4% | volatile |
| 26 | Rwanda | 159.13 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 27 | United States | 158.11 | 2026 | up 5.8% | volatile |
| 28 | Moldova | 156.07 | 2026 | down 44.3% | volatile |
| 29 | Madagascar | 143.29 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 30 | Turkey | 127.32 | 2026 | up 0.2% | volatile |
| 31 | Lithuania | 123.38 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 32 | Afghanistan | 109.86 | 2026 | up 83.8% | volatile |
| 33 | Pakistan | 105.92 | 2026 | up 80.8% | volatile |
| 34 | Cyprus | 105.66 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 35 | Peru | 100.9 | 2026 | up 100.5% | volatile |
| 36 | Azerbaijan | 95.61 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 37 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 94.45 | 2026 | down 96.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Nigeria | 93.24 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 39 | Uganda | 93.24 | 2026 | up 167.3% | volatile |
| 40 | China | 91.37 | 2026 | down 26.7% | volatile |
| 41 | India | 85.58 | 2026 | down 3.2% | volatile |
| 42 | Spain | 73.1 | 2026 | up 60.4% | volatile |
| 43 | Singapore | 71 | 2026 | down 55.5% | volatile |
| 44 | South Africa | 65.85 | 2026 | up 122.7% | volatile |
| 45 | Bangladesh | 65.75 | 2026 | up 100.5% | volatile |
| 46 | Poland | 63.28 | 2026 | down 85.2% | volatile |
| 47 | Morocco | 62.83 | 2026 | down 33.2% | volatile |
| 48 | Nicaragua | 58.79 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 49 | Czechia | 48.49 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 50 | Kazakhstan | 47.51 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 51 | Greece | 47.21 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 52 | Hong Kong | 46.99 | 2026 | down 18.3% | volatile |
| 53 | Chile | 42.54 | 2026 | down 55.5% | volatile |
| 54 | France | 41.67 | 2026 | down 62.2% | volatile |
| 55 | Italy | 40.77 | 2026 | down 89.7% | volatile |
| 56 | Serbia | 38.31 | 2026 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 57 | Canada | 38.29 | 2026 | down 43.5% | rising |
| 58 | Iran | 36.98 | 2026 | down 60.9% | volatile |
| 59 | Ukraine | 34.13 | 2026 | up 2.8% | volatile |
| 60 | Venezuela | 29.31 | 2026 | down 78.6% | volatile |
| 61 | Saudi Arabia | 26.28 | 2026 | down 85.2% | volatile |
| 62 | Argentina | 25.69 | 2026 | down 66.6% | volatile |
| 63 | Belarus | 25.34 | 2026 | down 33.2% | volatile |
| 64 | Yemen | 24.94 | 2026 | down 55.5% | volatile |
| 65 | Germany | 24.51 | 2026 | down 84.6% | volatile |
| 66 | South Korea | 24.35 | 2026 | down 95.0% | volatile |
| 67 | Russia | 24.28 | 2026 | down 85.8% | volatile |
| 68 | Bahrain | 24.11 | 2026 | down 33.2% | volatile |
| 69 | Romania | 22.74 | 2026 | down 87.9% | volatile |
| 70 | Iraq | 19.27 | 2026 | down 59.9% | volatile |
| 71 | Syria | 17.36 | 2026 | down 86.6% | volatile |
| 72 | Indonesia | 13.08 | 2026 | down 94.4% | volatile |
| 73 | Brazil | 11.58 | 2026 | down 96.7% | volatile |
| 74 | Thailand | 10.93 | 2026 | down 73.3% | volatile |
| 75 | Albania | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Austria | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Burundi | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Belgium | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Burkina Faso | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Switzerland | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Algeria | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Ecuador | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Egypt | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Estonia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Ethiopia | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Finland | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Guinea | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Honduras | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Croatia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Haiti | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Jordan | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Japan | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Cambodia | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Kuwait | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Lebanon | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Libya | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Latvia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | North Macedonia | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Mali | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Myanmar | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Montenegro | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Mozambique | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Mauritania | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Malawi | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Malaysia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Niger | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Norway | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | New Zealand | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Panama | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Philippines | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Papua New Guinea | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Puerto Rico | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Portugal | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Paraguay | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Qatar | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Sudan | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | El Salvador | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Slovakia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Sweden | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Eswatini | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Chad | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Togo | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Tajikistan | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | East Timor | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Tunisia | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Vietnam | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Zambia | 0 | 2026 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Taiwan | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Kosovo | 0 | 2026 | down 100.0% | volatile |
About this data
This dataset provides two measures of social unrest derived from media reports. One is the “A” index from the paper, and the “events” series. Suggested citation: "Barrett, P., Appendino, M., Nguyen, K., & de Leon Miranda, J. (2022). Measuring social unrest using media reports. Journal of Development Economics, 158, 102924." Note: some sources mis-label China and Hong Kong SAR. Series which explicitly adjust for this are available on request from the authors.