Almost 40% of the world's countries will witness civil unrest in 2020, research claims
Nearly 40% of the world&apos;s 195 countries will see civil unrest during 2020, according to Verisk Maplecroft. Risk of backlash by security forces is deemed high in countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and China. There are 195 countries in the world, if the Vatican and Palestine are included. 47% of those states witnessed a rise in civil unrest in 2019.
KEY POINTS Nearly 40% of the world's 195 countries will see civil unrest during 2020, according to Verisk Maplecroft.

Risk of backlash by security forces is deemed high in countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and China.

Corporations will be under increased pressure to avoid getting tangled up in this "new normal."

Protesters march on a street during a rally against the extradition law proposal on June 9, 2019 in Hong Kong China. Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Hong Kong in Sunday against a controversial extradition bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to mainland China for trial.(Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Anthony Kwan | Getty Images

Almost a quarter of the world's countries witnessed a surge in protest and unrest last year and that figure is set to rise further in 2020, according to a new study. There are 195 countries in the world, if the Vatican and Palestine are included, and a newly released index of civil unrest has claimed that 47 of those states witnessed a rise in civil unrest in 2019. The data model, published Thursday by socio-economic and political analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft, has also predicted that in 2020, the number will balloon to 75 countries. The U.K. consultancy identified Hong Kong and Chile as the two flashpoints suffering the largest increases in unrest since the beginning of 2019. Neither country is expected to find peace for at least two years, according to the research.

Shi'ite Muslim rebels hold up their weapons during a rally against air strikes in Sanaa March 26, 2015. Khaled Abdullah | Reuters

Other areas now considered hotbeds of civil protest include Nigeria, Lebanon and Bolivia. Beyond these three, countries dropping into a category labeled "extreme risk" include Ethiopia, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Since the previous index release, Sudan has overtaken Yemen to become the highest risk country globally. Sudan has been locked in crisis since ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in April. The country has been beset by protests and killings as military forces battle pro-democracy supporters to control the country. Conflict in Yemen has been raging since 2015 as Shia and Sunni Muslim forces wrestle for power.

Maplecroft's predictions for 2020 are bleak with both the number of countries witnessing protest and the intensity of unrest tipped to rise.