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Kostas Tsironis/AP/Press Association Images

The 20 countries with the highest probability of default

Ireland has made the list – unsurprisingly – but where does it rank?

AS THE ECONOMIC crisis in Europe continues to flare up, investors holding sovereign debt have had to pay substantially higher rates to insure themselves from default via Credit Default Swaps.

Business Insider compiled data on some 59 countries where investors can buy protection.

The results: issuers of credit default swaps don’t see the US, Germany or Norway defaulting anytime soon.

What follows is a look at the cost to insure $10,000 of ten-year sovereign debt per year.

#20: Iceland, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 324.39 bps
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  • #20: Iceland, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 324.39 bps

  • #19: Lithuania, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 326.26 bps

  • #18: Bulgaria, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 393.15 bps

  • #17: Vietnam, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 393.18 bps

  • #16: Bahrain, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 396.22 bps

  • #15: Dubai, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 430.87 bps

  • #14: Romania, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 467.70 bps

  • #13: Lebanon, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 518.30 bps

  • #12: Italy, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 522.89 bps

  • #11: Spain, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 538.00 bps

  • #10: Croatia, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 563.95 bps

  • #9: Hungary, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 608.61 bps

  • #8: Ireland, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 656.23 bps

  • #7: Egypt, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 665.35 bps

  • #6: Venezuela, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 829.20 bps

  • #5: Portugal, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 835.72 bps

  • #4: Ukraine, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 884.81 bps

  • #3: Cyprus, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 906.16 bps

  • #2: Argentina, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 1,183.98 bps

  • #1: Greece, Cost To Insure $10,000 Sovereign Debt: 7,015.10 bps

Article by Eric Platt for Business Insider

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    Mute Alan
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    May 1st 2025, 6:08 PM

    Is that so Ted.

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    Mute Jack Dermody
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    May 1st 2025, 10:59 PM

    @Alan: This will cause havoc at u14s this year

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    Mute ben wu
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    May 1st 2025, 6:18 PM

    Not like honesty, morals, ethics, facts or anything resembling being legal is needed for the role. If anything, those are detrimental.

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    Mute Athena
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    May 2nd 2025, 5:37 AM

    @ben wu: Oh no, he’ll have to return 12 months of pension payment received so ..

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    Mute RP McGuinness
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    May 1st 2025, 6:10 PM

    He sounds perfect for the gig.

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    Mute Sickof thisshit
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    May 1st 2025, 6:59 PM

    Sounds like he needs to go to confession.

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    Mute Mary.E.
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    May 1st 2025, 11:29 PM

    @Sickof thisshit:
    He could even apply for a job in the W.H.Got the right credentials.

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    Mute Kjg
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    May 1st 2025, 6:52 PM

    Perfect fit. They love to fabricate

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    Mute Trevor Hoyden
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    May 1st 2025, 6:25 PM

    Sounds dodgy, considering the Catholic church’s past

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    Mute Me Me
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    May 1st 2025, 6:30 PM

    When Brian Kerr was youth manager of Ireland he came across this scenario, where in certain countries the birth date is virtually forgotten and all documents give the date on which the birth was REGISTERED! So it wasn’t uncommon for 3 or 4 people on a team to have the same ‘birth date’ as that was the day the government official passed through the area to register recent births.

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    May 1st 2025, 7:03 PM

    @Me Me: I heard that no Kerry young fella back in the day ,the Girleens now I’m sure ,but none ever born on January 1st ,amazing must be the air ,ah they consoled themselves with an extra year minor.

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    Mute Chx8mYUb
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    May 1st 2025, 8:09 PM

    It’s a little white lie , not a cardinal sin .

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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    May 1st 2025, 7:41 PM

    it’s mad ted !

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    Mute Frank Foley
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    May 1st 2025, 6:17 PM

    I hope RTE show the conclave on live TV, it’s very exciting to see what colour of smoke comes out, and when the white smoke comes out it brings so much happiness to all that we have a new Pope.

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    May 2nd 2025, 10:35 AM

    @Frank Foley: I’m extremely concerned whoever gets it will be younger than me ,that will take some dealing with …

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    Mute Johnny King
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    May 1st 2025, 8:15 PM

    Burkino Faso really rolls off the tongue doesn’t it? Might as well call your country midi operati suplex or something

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    Mute Minnie Mouse
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    May 1st 2025, 10:48 PM

    @Johnny King: What a truly supercilious comment. Did your brain overheat when thinking it up?

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    Mute John Duggan
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    May 1st 2025, 10:35 PM

    sure i might have a go myself
    21 again and err… actually no,
    i think ill stay where i’m at.

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    May 2nd 2025, 7:02 AM

    And yet the ffg entitled wasters bend the everything to facilitate , the vile behaviour of the perverted

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    Mute Hunt Ley
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    May 2nd 2025, 5:59 AM

    I’m not surprised.

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