Top 10 Countries That May Disappear in the Next 100 Years

For those who deny the reality of global warming, take a look at the Maldives. This island nation, nestled between India and Africa, is at serious risk of being submerged. The threat is so severe that the former president even considered purchasing land in South Asia to relocate the population if sea levels continue to rise. If this trend persists, the Maldives may become the first nation to disappear due to the effects of global warming, also known as the greenhouse effect, and this could occur as early as 2085.

You might be surprised to see the United Kingdom on this list, but in reality, the UK is a union of multiple nations. Scotland's failed independence movement in 2014 nearly led to its separation from the UK. Then, in the summer of 2016, Brexit occurred, where Britain voted to leave the European Union. The issue here is that not all nations within the UK agree with this decision. It's possible that these nations will seek independence from the UK and rejoin the EU. While this could be a lengthy process, it is entirely plausible that the UK could dissolve within the next 20 years.

Iraq has been embroiled in conflict since the 9/11 attacks. The execution of former president Saddam Hussein, who had kept the nation unified through harsh measures, deepened the divisions. The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) made it even clearer that the country had fractured irreparably. Iraq is now divided into three main groups: Sunnis, Kurds, and Shiites, and it seems unlikely that the nation can ever reunite as a whole. The most probable outcome is that Iraq will eventually collapse, resulting in the formation of three new countries.

Kiribati is home to the Phoenix Islands, often considered the epitome of a tropical paradise. Anyone wishing to visit this nation should do so quickly, as two of its islands have already been submerged by rising sea levels. If the waters continue to rise, most of the country will be engulfed, and what remains will be insufficient to sustain life. The president of Kiribati has called on New Zealand and Fiji to accept their citizens as permanent refugees, as the situation becomes increasingly dire.

When the economic crisis hit Spain in 2008, it caused such widespread damage that the country has been teetering on the brink of collapse ever since. Unemployment peaked at 24% in January 2015, and little progress was made by the fall of 2016. If that wasn't enough, Spain is also dealing with internal divisions. The Catalonia region in the west has pushed for independence, gaining significant public support. There's also a separatist movement in the northern Basque region, where armed groups have tried to win support for independence. If Spain doesn't address its financial issues and these regions gain independence, it is likely that Spain's existence as a unified nation will not last more than 10 years.

It’s no surprise that the United States is considered a nation divided. The cultural and political rifts between the North and South have existed since the Civil War. In 2012, all 50 states received petitions from thousands of citizens calling for their states to secede from the Union. If the U.S. doesn’t find a way to unite internally, it’s possible that these secession movements will succeed, with Texas and Alaska among the first to break away. And of course, with Donald J. Trump becoming president, there’s potential for significant investment in America, but the polarized opinions surrounding the election outcome make it uncertain.

Just because China has one of the world's strongest economies and a formidable military doesn’t mean it’s immune to collapse within the next 100 years. China faces a massive pollution crisis. The pollution is so severe that, according to the World Bank, approximately 250,000 Chinese citizens die prematurely every year. The Chinese government has also predicted that the country will run out of drinkable water by 2030. If China doesn’t effectively address its pollution problem, its chances of surviving past 2050 don’t seem promising.

The impact of climate change has nearly destroyed tropical islands. While it may be hard to imagine for European nations, for the Netherlands—whose land is either at or just above sea level—global warming has become a real threat to its existence. The Netherlands has tried to combat rising sea levels by raising its dike system. If the dikes fail to hold back the rising waters, the country is at serious risk of flooding, potentially leading to the entire Netherlands sinking beneath the sea.

North Korea, ruled by the Kim dynasty since the 1940s, is on the brink of collapse. There has been much speculation about covert military coups, suppressed by the government's control of the media. Defectors face deadly risks, including being shot at on the frozen Duman River that marks the border with China. With complete control over the nation's communications, uprisings are quickly crushed, and the outside world remains unaware of the struggles within. Defectors are often punished severely, with public executions used as a deterrent. Many experts believe that North Korea's dictatorship will eventually crumble under the weight of internal distrust and backstabbing among high-ranking officials. The good news is that once the regime falls, South Korea would be eager to heal the wounds caused by the Kim family and reunite the two nations into one.

This country is deeply divided by ethnic conflict, with each side having its own distinct Belgian identity. Belgium has three official regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and the capital region of Brussels. Flanders and Wallonia are starkly different, even speaking different languages. The people of Wallonia speak French and seek either an alliance with France or full independence, while Flanders simply desires complete autonomy. There are growing speculations that Belgium will split into two countries within the next 20 years.