![]() ![]() Positive Peace From The World's Most Peaceful CountriesĪmid widespread global turmoil, perhaps the more peaceful nations show a way forward. Russia itself experienced the fifth-largest decline in the ranking. While the spillover consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine have spread to the farthest corners of the world, three out of the five countries in Europe with the largest deteriorations in peacefulness-Poland, Hungary and Slovakia-share a border with Ukraine. The largest regional decline in peacefulness occurred in the Eurasia region. Europe's strength arises from its relatively low in internal conflict and political instability and high socio economic development, buoyed by longstanding efforts to develop peaceful societies at home. Western Europe remains the world's most peaceful region overall, with six placing among the top ten countries, including the number one slot. South America declined too (by 0.33%) as a result of the increase in internal conflicts, violent demonstrations and incarceration rates. ![]() The Middle East and North Africa region-despite having recorded the second largest improvement in ranking-remains home to four of the ten least peaceful nations in the world, and is the least peaceful region overall.Įlsewhere, Central America and the Caribbean’s average peacefulness fell slightly by 0.71% thanks to an increase in violent crime, specifically homicides. Stuck in 131st place, the United States has suffered a dramatic fall since 2015 across several metrics of the peace index, with civil unrest being a primary driver of the overall decline. North America's improvement was mainly driven by Canada, which this year gains two positions to 11th place in the index. Regionally, the largest improvements in peacefulness occurred in North America and the Middle East and North Africa region. Regional Distribution of Peaceful Countries Another worrying trend is that conflicts are becoming more internationalized: 91 countries are now involved in external conflicts in some form-the respective figure from the 2008 index was just 33. Haiti, Mali and Israel were the other nations with the sharpest declines in this year’s peacefulness index. The human cost is also staggering: 65% of Ukrainian men between the age of 20 and 24 have fled the country or died in the conflict. The report estimates that the war cost Ukraine $449 billion, or 64% of its GDP. Ukraine recorded the largest deterioration in the index, falling 14 places to the 157th spot. For the sixth year in a row, Afghanistan emerged as the least peaceful country in world followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It should come as no surprise that political instability and unresolved internal conflicts are major factors undermining global peacefulness. Since then, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons has rocketed to 85 million according to the UN Refugee Agency, with 15 nations where at least 5% of the population are either refugees or internally displaced. That might not seem like much, yet it is worth noting that it is the 13th time in the past 15 years that the average has declined, for an overall reduction of 5% since the annual Global Peace Index was first published in 2008. Yet overall the level of global peacefulness decreased this year by 0.42% according to IEP researchers. The ranking, which is based on 23 indicators grouped into three criteria (societal safety and security extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and degree of militarization), shows 84 countries recording improvement and 79 showing deterioration. Compiled by the international think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), it covers 163 independent states and territories home to 99.7% of the world’s population. These are the most significant takeaways from the 2023 Global Peace Index, the world's leading measure of global peace. The economic impact of violence on the global economy is quantifiable: $17.5 trillion in purchasing-power parity (PPP) terms, or 12.9% of total global GDP-that's $2,200 less economic output for each person on the planet. Peaceful societies enjoy greater income growth, stronger currencies and higher foreign investment-not to mention political stability and a greater sense of happiness among their citizens. Peace, some people say, starts with a smile. Luca Ventura The 2023 Global Peace Index ranks 163 countries based on societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and degree of militarization. ![]()
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