What are fragile states?
The World Bank defines a country as a Fragile State if it is a low income country or territory, IDA eligible, with a CPIA score of 3.2 (rounded) or below. Countries are considered core fragile states if their CPIA is below 3.0. Countries are considered marginal fragile states if their CPIA score is between 3.0 and 3.2. These designations are meant to provide guidance to policymakers in considering those countries with weak governance and limited institutional capacity for development. The CPIA scores provide guidance on the “spectrum” of fragility and should not be interpreted as hard and fast rules. Countries with CPIA below 3.2 may not exhibit fragility and there may be some aspects of fragility in countries with CPIA scores above 3.2. See How IDA Resources are Allocated for a discussion of the CPIA scoring process. The definition “Fragile” was first adopted in Fiscal Year 2008. Previously, countries were classified as “Low Income Countries Under Stress” (LICUS) for World Bank Fiscal
