The NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index is a first-of-its-kind public benchmarking project of nuclear materials security conditions on a country-by-country basis in 176 countries.
The NTI Index, prepared with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), is being created to spark an international discussion about priorities required to strengthen security and, most important, encourage governments to provide assurances and take actions to reduce risks.
The project draws on NTI’s nuclear expertise, the EIU’s experience in constructing indices, and the reach of the EIU’s global network of 900 analysts and contributors. NTI—working with an international panel of nuclear security experts and a number of technical advisors—focused on the framework and priorities that define effective nuclear materials security conditions.
The NTI Index assesses the contribution of 32 states with one kilogram or more of weapons-usable nuclear materials towards improved global nuclear materials security conditions, using five main categories with a total of 18 sub indicators:
1. Quantities and Sites
2. Security and Control Measures
3. Global Norms
4. Domestic Commitments and Capacity
5. Societal Factors
Australia placed first on the chart with a total of 94 points out of 100, while Hungary came in second with 89 points. Out of the 18 sub indicators Hungary has achieved the highest rating in 16. The review in particular praised Hungary’s independent regulatory agency, safeguards adoption and its commitment to international legislations. In comparison, the five major nuclear powers ranked as the following:
10). United Kingdom
13). United States of America
19). France
24). Russian Federation
27). China
(Source: NTI)