The 16 countries with the most civil unrest

Verisk Maplecroft, a major risk consultancy has compiled a list of where in the world the risk of civil unrest is highest, and how that potential for disobedience poses risks to the business climate in these countries.

As Verisk Maplecroft notes in its report: "Severe incidents of civil unrest may impact business operations in the following ways: disrupt logistics by obstructing major thoroughfares and access to airports and ports; pose security threats to employees; destruction of property either due to looting or as consequence of violence between parties."

"As we' seen in South Africa and Nigeria, poor economic performance is also a critical bellwether for the likelihood of civil unrest," Principal Political Risk Analyst Charlotte Ingham said in the report. "In addition, widespread political and ethnic discrimination or corruption can inflame popular discontent and trigger significant events."

To compile its ranking, Verisk Maplecroft put together a host of indicators, including inflation levels in every country, whether or not certain social groups are marginalised, and how often there is political unrest, before giving each nation a score out of 10 - with 0 being the least stable, and 10 being the most stable.

Unsurprisingly, the nations where civil unrest poses the biggest business risks are largely in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, where economies are broadly less developed, and political systems are more volatile than in developed nations in Europe and North America.

Take a look at the countries most likely to experience civil unrest below.