Measured on a scale from 0 (low decline) to 10 (high decline), these 15 nations are suffering the world’s most severe economic deterioration according to the 2024 Economic Decline Index. Syria ranks first with a near-maximum score of 9.9, followed by Afghanistan, Yemen, and Venezuela – all at or above 9.5. Driven by collapsing currencies, hyperinflation, cratering GDP, famine-level poverty, and failed productive sectors, each of these countries is experiencing an ongoing economic freefall with no immediate recovery in sight.