Country risks

Country risks are used to identify countries and suppliers with an elevated risk of adverse impacts on people, the environment, and society. They do not constitute a full risk assessment, as they do not help you prioritise adverse impacts, such as forced labour. For that, an in-depth analysis is required, including mapping of standards, information on geographic risks, sector risks, product risks, and possibly supplier risks, as well as prioritisation based on likelihood and severity.

There is no requirement to use our country risks. They are intended as a support tool for contracting organisations and suppliers that lack their own compiled country risk data.

The country risks are based on four internationally established indices:

• Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI)
• Global Rights Index (ITUC)*
• Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
• Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

These have been selected because they correspond to the areas covered by the Supplier Code of Conduct: human rights, workers’ rights, the environment, and business ethics.

All areas are weighted equally. The overall risk level is calculated as an average of the four indices. Lower index values indicate higher risk, while higher values indicate lower risk.

• Very low risk: total value 321-400
• Low risk: total value 241-320
• Medium risk: total value 161-240
• High risk: total value 81-160
• Very high risk: total value 0-80

The country risks are updated on an ongoing basis. The most recent update was carried out in october 1st 2026 with new data for the Environmental Performance Index.

The Global Rights Index scale is 1 to 5+ but is converted to 1=90, 2=70, 3=50, 4=30, 5=10 and 5+=5.

Country Risks – Download excel document (.xlsx)