Which Countries Rank Best and Worst on the Ocean Health Index?

Clear water, a variety of fauna and flora, the condition of beaches, even the jobs provided through recreational activities like boat tours or seaside hotel resorts: The health of an ocean ecosystem when it comes to the benefits it can provide to individuals and societies at large can be measured in a variety of ways. One attempt to quantify and index the status quo is the annual Ocean Health Index. As our chart based on its most recent data shows, four out of five of the lowest-scoring countries with more than 100,000 residents are situated on the African continent and in the Middle East.

Ranking lowest out of 220 nations and regions analyzed is Eritrea with an index score of 54.8, followed by the Ivory Coast and the Republic of the Congo, with 54.9 and 55.9 points respectively. All three countries score poorly on the food provision sub-index, while Eritrea only achieves three points in the livelihoods and economies segment and both the Ivory Coast and the Republic of the Congo exhibit possibilities for major improvements in the coastal protection sub-index.

While many countries on the African continent exhibit poor scores overall, the picture is decidedly different on some of the islands off of the continent's eastern coast. For example, the Seychelles rank first in countries with more than 100,000 residents with a score of 86.6, achieving full marks in natural products, carbon storage and tourism and recreation. Mayotte, another island group around 320 miles off the African coast, places third with 83.9 points, while Portugal with its score of 83.6 is the only European entrant in the top 10 overall and one of two, the second being Russia, when taking into account only countries home to more than 100,000 people. Overall, the average global index score is 73.5, up 1.3 points from the index's first edition.

The Ocean Health Index, according to the project website, "measures how well ocean systems are sustainably providing people with the benefits and services they need and desire from marine systems" and was first published in 2012. It analyzes studies connected to ten overarching goals like biodiversity, clean waters and carbon storage as well as food provision or tourism and recreation.