These were the world's 25 most fragile states in 2014

Foreign Policy magazine has released its annual ranking of the world's least-stable countries, now known as the Fragile State Index. 

The rankings are based on 12 metrics, including access to public services, the prevalence of refugees and internally displaced persons, human rights conditions, and the legitimacy of the state. 

Scandinavian countries round out the bottom of the ranking. Surprisingly, Syria — which has suffered four years of a brutal civil war that's displaced 12 million people — isn't the most fragile state in the world, according to the survey.

Here are the countries Foreign Policy says are the most fragile in the world.

25. LIBYA: The north-African country has continued to splinter over the past year as two rival governments have fought for control. ISIS has also gained a foothold amidst the country's chaos and its oil exports are down to a fraction of what they were in 2013. A lack of state legitimacy, security, and human rights has caused Libya to drop 16 places from 2013.

24. ERITREA: A small country in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea improved slightly in the index over the past year. But Eritrea still suffers under some of the world's strictest authoritarian rule and has a terrible human rights record. The country is also the subject of several UN Security Council resolutions imposing military and economic sanctions in response to the government's support of armed groups throughout the region.

23. UGANDA: Uganda faces many of the same challenges as the previous year, with factionalized elites, demographic pressures, and group grievances contributing to the country's low score. Uganda also faces a number of rebel movements, the infamous being the Joseph Kony-led Lord's Resistance Army.