Across the world, people are fearing for their health and facing massive financial worries and upheaval as the coronavirus pandemic causes havoc.

But those who live in Germany are comparatively well positioned, new research has found. According to a ranking by the London Deep Knowledge Group (DKG), Germany is currently the safest and most stable country in Europe – and the second safest in the world.

Only Israel, which is currently in the top spot of the ranking, is managing the crisis better, according to the country comparison by DKG and reported on by German magazine Spiegel.

As of Tuesday morning April 14th, there were more than 130,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. 

Of the total, around 64,300 people have reported themselves to have fully recovered from the virus while more than 3,100 people have died.

Data analysts from DKG collected information on when initial restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus were introduced in countries, whether there have been many violations, the extent of travel restrictions, the availability of Covid-19 tests and how well hospitals are equipped.

In the ranking, Germany scores particularly well in the government crisis management section. In this area the focus is on how well crisis staff function and the mobilisation of rapid assistance.

Behind Germany, Switzerland (ranked number 11) and Austria (ranked number 12) have the most successful crisis management in Europe.

In a global comparison of a total of 40 countries – leaving Africa and South America out of the equation – eastern and central European countries such as Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia are at the bottom of the list.

Screenshot: Deep Knowledge Group

Germany has been 'extremely efficient'

In a ranking of over a hundred countries, which the think tank is currently still working on, the US is 70th on the list. Meanwhile, South Korea, Australia and China among the world's top 10 countries, just behind Israel and Germany.

“Compared to other countries, Germany currently has the best safety and stability ranking in Europe and is also one of the leading nations worldwide in terms of crisis management,” said data expert Dimitry Kaminsky, founder of DKG.

“Given its initially high infection rates, Germany has been extremely efficient and has successfully stopped the spread of the disease without reaching the level of other countries – this will give Germany considerable economic advantages after the pandemic.”

The DKG think tank uses public data sources such as the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University for its rankings, feeding an algorithm.

Other data analysts also praised the German government.

“Germany is doing really well as a country with a high population,” said Anastassia Lauterbach, AI and data expert and board member.

“The fact that Israel is in the lead is not surprising when you consider that the country is in a permanent state of crisis and has a great deal of experience with border closures and states of emergency.”

Lauterbach considers the ranking to be meaningful due to its high data density. “However, the ranking is only a snapshot because the data is constantly updated,” said Lauterbach.

That means if Germany makes the wrong decisions in future, it could slip down the rating scale.

Vocabulary

Country comparison – (der) Ländervergleich

Well-positioned – gut aufgestellt

The safest and most stable country in Europe – das sicherste und stabilste Land in Europa

Snapshot – (die) Momentaufnahme

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