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Global Peace Index

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Global Peace Index 2023. Countries appearing with a deeper shade of green are ranked as more peaceful, countries appearing more red are ranked as more violent.[1]

Global Peace Index (GPI) is a report produced by the Australia-based NGO Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) which measures the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness.[2] The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories (collectively accounting for 99.7 per cent of the world's population) according to their levels of peacefulness. In the past decade, the GPI has presented trends of increased global violence and less peacefulness.[3]

The GPI (Global Peace Index) is developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Index was first launched in 2007,[4] with subsequent reports being released annually. In 2015 it ranked 165 countries, up from 121 in 2007. The study was conceived by Australian technology entrepreneur Steve Killelea, and is endorsed by individuals such as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama, and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari.[citation needed] The updated index is released each year at events in London, Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations Secretariat in New York City.

The 2024 GPI indicates Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia and Malaysia to be the most peaceful countries, while Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Congo, Russia, Syria, Israel and Mali to be the least peaceful.[5][6] Among the top 7 most populous nations accounting for over half of the world's population and approximately half of the total GDP of the world, Indonesia ranks 48th overall on the Global Peace Index, China 88th, India 116th, Brazil 131st, the United States 132nd,[5] Pakistan 140th and Nigeria 147th. Findings of the 2024 GPI indicate a less peaceful world over the last 16 years, a 6 per cent deterioration in the global level of peace over the preceding 16 years, and a growing inequality in peace between the most and least peaceful countries.

Ten indicators broadly assess what might be described as safety and security in society. Their assertion is that low crime rates, minimal incidences of terrorist acts and violent demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, a stable political scene, and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or refugees can be suggestive of peacefulness.[7]

Indicators of peacefulness

In 2017, 23 indicators were used to establish peacefulness scores for each country. The indicators were originally selected with the assistance of an expert panel in 2007 and are reviewed by the expert panel on an annual basis. The scores for each indicator are normalised on a scale of 1–5, whereby qualitative indicators are banded into five groupings, and quantitative ones are scored from 1–5, to the third decimal point. A table of the indicators is below.[8] In the table, UCDP stands for the Uppsala Conflict Data Program maintained by the University of Uppsala in Sweden, EIU for The Economist Intelligence Unit, UNSCT for the United Nations Survey of Criminal Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, ICPS is the International Centre for Prison Studies at King's College London, IISS for the International Institute for Strategic Studies publication The Military Balance, and SIPRI for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Arms Transfers Database.

Indicator Source Coding
1 Number and duration of internal conflicts[a] UCDP, IEP Total number
2 Number of deaths from external organized conflict UCDP Armed Conflict Dataset Total number
3 Number of deaths from internal organized conflict International Institute for Strategic Studies, Armed Conflict Database Total number
4 Number, duration, and role in external conflicts UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset, IEP Total number
5 Intensity of organized internal conflict EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
6 Relations with neighbouring countries EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
7 Level of perceived criminality in society EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
8 Number of refugees and displaced persons as percentage of population UNHCR and IDMC Refugee population by country or territory of origin, plus the number of a country's internally displaced people (IDP's) as a percentage of the country's total population
9 Political instability EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
10 Impact of terrorism Global Terrorism Index (IEP) Quantitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
11 Political terror Amnesty International and US State Department Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
12 Number of homicides per 100,000 people UNODC Surveys on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (CTS); EIU estimates Total number
13 Level of violent crime EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
14 Likelihood of violent demonstrations EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
15 Number of jailed persons per 100,000 people World Prison Brief, Institute for Criminal Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London Total number
16 Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people UNODC CTS; EIU estimates Total number; Civil police force distinct from national guards or local militia[b]
17 Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP The Military Balance and IISS Cash outlays of central or federal government to meet costs of national armed forces, as a percentage of GDP, scores from 1 to 5 based on percentages[c]
18 Number of armed-services personnel per 100,000 The Military Balance and IISS All full-time active armed-services personnel
19 Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000 people SIPRI Arms Transfers Database Imports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people[d]
20 Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people SIPRI Arms Transfers Database Exports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
21 Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions United Nations Committee on Contributions and IEP Percentage of countries' "outstanding payments versus their annual assessment to the budget of the current peacekeeping missions" over an average of three years, scored from 1–5 scale based on percentage of promised contributions met
22 Nuclear and heavy weapons capability The Military Balance, IISS, SIPRI, UN Register of Conventional Arms and IEP 1–5 scale based on accumulated points; 1 point per armoured vehicle and artillery pieces, 5 points per tank, 20 points per combat aircraft, 100 points per warship, 1000 points for aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine[e]
23 Ease of access to small arms and light weapons EIU Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5

Indicators not already ranked on a 1 to 5 scale were converted by using the following formula: x = [x - min(x)] / [max(x) - min(x)], where max(x) and min(x) are the highest and lowest values for that indicator of the countries ranked in the index. The 0 to 1 scores that resulted were then converted to the 1 to 5 scale. Individual indicators were then weighted according to the expert panel's judgment of their importance. The scores were then tabulated into two weighted sub-indices: internal peace, weighted at 60% of a country's final score, and external peace, weighted at 40% of a country's final score. "Negative Peace", defined as the absence of violence or of the fear of violence, is used as the definition of peace to create the Global Peace Index. An additional aim of the GPI database is to facilitate deeper study of the concept of positive peace, or those attitudes, institutions, and structures that drive peacefulness in society. The GPI also examines relationships between peace and reliable international measures, including democracy and transparency, education and material well-being. As such, it seeks to understand the relative importance of a range of potential determinants, or "drivers", which may influence the nurturing of peaceful societies, both internally and externally.[9]

Statistical analysis is applied to GPI data to uncover specific conditions conducive of peace. Researchers have determined that Positive Peace, which includes the attitudes, institutions, and structures that pre-empt conflict and facilitate functional societies, is the main driver of peace. The eight pillars of positive peace are well-functioning government, sound business environment, acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbours, free flow of information, high levels of human capital, low levels of corruption, and equitable distribution of resources. Well-functioning government, low levels of corruption, acceptance of the rights of others, and good relations with neighbours are more important in countries suffering from high levels of violence. Free flow of information and sound business environment become more important when a country is approaching the global average level of peacefulness, also described as the Mid-Peace level. Low levels of corruption is the only Pillar that is strongly significant across all three levels of peacefulness. This suggests it is an important transformational factor at all stages of a nation's development.

Global Peace Index ranking

Legend
  •   Very high impact
  •   High impact
  •   Medium impact
  •   Low impact
  •   Very low impact
2024 Global Peace Index Ranking[10]
Rank Country Score Change
1  Iceland 1.112 Steady
2  Ireland 1.303 Steady
3  Austria 1.313 Increase 1
4  New Zealand 1.323 Decrease 1
5  Singapore 1.339 Increase 3
6   Switzerland 1.35 Increase 3
7  Portugal 1.372 Decrease 1
8  Denmark 1.382 Decrease 3
9  Slovenia 1.395 Decrease 2
10  Malaysia 1.427 Increase 2
11  Canada 1.449 Decrease 1
12  Czech Republic 1.459 Decrease 1
13  Finland 1.474 Increase 2
14  Hungary 1.502 Increase 4
15  Croatia 1.504 Increase 1
16  Belgium 1.51 Decrease 2
17  Japan 1.525 Decrease 4
18  Netherlands 1.527 Increase 1
19  Australia 1.536 Increase 2
20  Germany 1.542 Decrease 4
21  Bhutan 1.564 Increase 3
22  Mauritius 1.577 Steady
23  Spain 1.597 Increase 7
24  Estonia 1.615 Increase 3
25  Kuwait 1.622 Increase 1
26  Bulgaria 1.629 Increase 5
27  Slovakia 1.634 Decrease 2
28  Norway 1.638 Decrease 5
29  Qatar 1.656 Decrease 9
30  Latvia 1.661 Decrease 3
31  Lithuania 1.672 Increase 6
32  Poland 1.678 Decrease 3
33  Italy 1.692 Steady
34  United Kingdom 1.703 Decrease 2
35  Montenegro 1.746 Increase 5
36  Romania 1.755 Decrease 1
37  Oman 1.761 Increase 4
38  North Macedonia 1.764 Decrease 2
39  Sweden 1.782 Decrease 5
40  Greece 1.793 Increase 17
41  Vietnam 1.802 Decrease 3
42  Albania 1.809 Decrease 3
43  Taiwan 1.818 Decrease 1
44  Madagascar 1.838 Increase 2
45  Mongolia 1.845 Steady
46  South Korea 1.848 Increase 6
47  Argentina 1.855 Increase 2
48  Indonesia 1.857 Decrease 4
49  Laos 1.861 Increase 1
50  Botswana 1.863 Decrease 3
51  East Timor 1.882 Decrease 3
52  Uruguay 1.893 Increase 3
53  United Arab Emirates 1.897 Increase 31
54  Serbia 1.93 Increase 8
55  Ghana 1.938 Decrease 5
56  Kosovo 1.945 Increase 3
57  Zambia 1.948 Increase 2
58  Costa Rica 1.95 Decrease 5
59  Kazakhstan 1.954 Increase 19
60  Uzbekistan 1.957 Increase 15
61  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.961 Decrease 5
62  Namibia 1.972 Increase 1
63  Moldova 1.976 Decrease 2
64  Chile 1.978 Decrease 10
65  Tanzania 1.987 Increase 11
66  Sierra Leone 1.993 Decrease 23
67  Jordan 1.998 Decrease 9
68  Bolivia 2.009 Decrease 2
69  Liberia 2.025 Decrease 5
70  Cambodia 2.028 Decrease 6
71  Tajikistan 2.035 Increase 19
72  Angola 2.043 Increase 19
73  Paraguay 2.044 Decrease 4
74  Tunisia 2.044 Increase 6
75  Thailand 2.048 Increase 11
76  Armenia 2.052 Decrease 2
77  Kyrgyzstan 2.053 Increase 18
78  Morocco 2.054 Increase 14
79  Malawi 2.063 Decrease 12
80    Nepal 2.069 Decrease 12
81  Bahrain 2.072 Increase 16
82  The Gambia 2.079 Decrease 13
83  Turkmenistan 2.079 Decrease 2
84  Senegal 2.084 Decrease 15
85  Guinea-Bissau 2.085 Decrease 12
86  France 2.088 Decrease 14
87  Trinidad and Tobago 2.092 Decrease 10
88  China 2.101 Decrease 6
89  Cyprus 2.101 Decrease 5
90  Algeria 2.11 Decrease 2
91  Jamaica 2.119 Increase 2
92  Rwanda 2.12 Increase 4
93  Bangladesh 2.126 Decrease 8
94  Equatorial Guinea 2.132 Decrease 14
95  Mauritania 2.136 Decrease 6
96  Panama 2.14 Decrease 9
97  Dominican Republic 2.157 Increase 5
98  Cuba 2.16 Steady
99  Peru 2.179 Increase 5
100  Georgia 2.195 Decrease 6
101  Sri Lanka 2.195 Decrease 1
102  Saudi Arabia 2.206 Increase 5
103  Eswatini 2.209 Increase 3
104  Philippines 2.21 Increase 4
105  Egypt 2.212 Increase 4
106  Azerbaijan 2.248 Decrease 3
107  El Salvador 2.25 Increase 21
108  Mozambique 2.25 Increase 3
109  Ivory Coast 2.255 Decrease 9
110  Republic of the Congo 2.261 Increase 6
111  Guyana 2.286 Increase 1
112  Belarus 2.291 Increase 3
113  Nicaragua 2.295 Increase 12
114  Benin 2.306 Decrease 1
115  Papua New Guinea 2.315 Decrease 10
116  India 2.319 Increase 5
117  Guatemala 2.332 Steady
118  Gabon 2.372 Decrease 18
119  Djibouti 2.374 Decrease 8
120  Togo 2.381 Decrease 2
121  Zimbabwe 2.396 Decrease 1
122  Kenya 2.409 Decrease 3
123  Honduras 2.415 Increase 1
124  Guinea 2.423 Increase 2
125  Lesotho 2.461 Decrease 3
126  Uganda 2.477 Decrease 3
127  South Africa 2.507 Increase 2
128  Libya 2.528 Increase 4
129  Burundi 2.567 Decrease 2
130  Ecuador 2.572 Decrease 16
131  Brazil 2.589 Steady
132  United States 2.622 Decrease 2
133  Iran 2.682 Increase 10
134  Lebanon 2.693 Decrease 1
135  Chad 2.704 Increase 5
136  Eritrea 2.748 Increase 5
137  Cameroon 2.773 Increase 1
138  Mexico 2.778 Decrease 1
139  Turkey 2.78 Steady
140  Pakistan 2.783 Increase 2
141  Niger 2.792 Decrease 6
142  Venezuela 2.821 Increase 3
143  Haiti 2.827 Decrease 9
144  Ethiopia 2.845 Increase 5
145  Palestine 2.872 Decrease 9
146  Colombia 2.887 Steady
147  Nigeria 2.907 Steady
148  Myanmar 2.943 Increase 6
149  Burkina Faso 2.969 Decrease 1
150  Central African Republic 3.009 Increase 1
151  Iraq 3.045 Increase 2
152  North Korea 3.055 Decrease 2
153  Somalia 3.091 Increase 2
154  Mali 3.095 Decrease 2
155  Israel 3.115 Decrease 11
156  Syria 3.173 Increase 2
157  Russia 3.249 Increase 2
158  Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.264 Increase 4
159  Ukraine 3.28 Decrease 3
160  Afghanistan 3.294 Steady
161  South Sudan 3.324 Increase 2
162  Sudan 3.327 Decrease 5
163  Yemen 3.397 Decrease 2

Note: The GPI's methodology is updated regularly and is improved to reflect the most up-to-date datasets. Each year's GPI report includes a detailed description of the methodology used. Also, the data is revised periodically and so values from previous years may change accordingly.
These tables contain the scores and ranking published in the official annual reports, for the latest revised data please visit the Interactive world map of the Global Peace Index Archived 2022-07-16 at the Wayback Machine.

Responses

The Index has received endorsements as a political project from a number of major international figures, including the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan; former President of Finland and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari; the Dalai Lama; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Muhammad Yunus; and former United States President Jimmy Carter.[11]

Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia University said: "The GPI continues its pioneering work in drawing the world's attention to the massive resources we are squandering in violence and conflict."[12] Some at Australian National University say that the GPI report presents "the latest and most comprehensive global data on trends in peace, violence and war" and "provides the world's best analysis of the statistical factors associated with long-term peace, as well as economic analysis on the macroeconomic impacts of everyday violence and war on the global economy."[13]

Criticism

According to The Economist, the weighting of military expenditure "may seem to give heart to freeloaders: countries that enjoy peace precisely because others (often the USA) care for their defence".[14]

The Global Peace Index has been criticized for not including indicators specifically relating to violence against women and children.[15]

The impact of Global Peace Index has been lower on the academic study of war and peace than on international organizations.[16]

Previous reports

  • "Reports Institute for Economics and Peace". Institute for Economics & Peace. Feb 6, 2024.
  • Institute for Economics and Peace (2023). Global Peace Index 2023 (PDF). Institute for Economics & Peace. ISBN 978-0-6451494-9-4.
  • "Global Peace Index 2021 Summary & Findings". Vision of Humanity. Oct 13, 2021.
  • Chalabi, Mona (Jun 11, 2013). "Global peace index 2013: the full list". the Guardian.
  • Rogers, Simon (May 25, 2011). "Global peace index 2011: the full list". the Guardian.
  • "Global Peace Index 2009" (PDF).

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In this case, a conflict is defined as, "a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year."
  2. ^ Excludes militia and national guard forces.
  3. ^ This includes, "cash outlays of central or federal government to meet the costs of national armed forces—including strategic, land, naval, air, command, administration and support forces as well as paramilitary forces, customs forces and border guards if these are trained and equipped as a military force."
  4. ^ This includes transfers, purchases, or gifts of aircraft, armoured vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, ships, engines
  5. ^ Rates the destructive capability of a country's stock of heavy weapons via a categorized system. As of 2013, countries with nuclear capabilities receive a score of five, the highest possible score.

References

  1. ^ "Global Peace Index Map » The Most & Least Peaceful Countries". Vision of Humanity. June 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  2. ^ Institute for Economics & Peace. "Global Peace Index 2017" (PDF). visionofhumanity.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  3. ^ Wang, Monica. "The World's Most And Least Peaceful Countries In 2016". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  4. ^ "Global Peace Index".
  5. ^ a b "'Peacefulness' Is Down Globally. These Are the 10 Most – and Least – Peaceful Countries". U.S. News & World Report. 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. ^ "Global Peace Index 2023" (PDF). Institute for Economics & Peace. June 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  7. ^ "INDEX", The Christology of Erasmus, Catholic University of America Press, pp. 293–302, 2024-01-26, doi:10.2307/jj.10677887.15, ISBN 978-0-8132-3803-6, retrieved 2024-06-17
  8. ^ Information about indicators and methodology "2013 Global Peace Index"(PDF). Institute for Economics and Peace. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  9. ^ Institute for Economics and Peace. "Global Peace Index Report, Methodology, pg. 113–136" (PDF). Visionofhumanity.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  10. ^ "2024 Global Peace Index" (PDF). Institute for Economics & Peace. Institute for Economics & Peace. June 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  11. ^ Endorsers for GPI — Vision of Humanity. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  12. ^ "Global Peace Index: World Less Peaceful in 2010 Report, Violence Impacting Global Economy $7 Trillion Annually". Phil's Stock World. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  13. ^ "Giving peace a chance? 2017 Global Peace Index". ANU. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  14. ^ "Give peace a rating". The Economist. 2007-05-31. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  15. ^ "Dark underbelly of the world's most 'peaceful' countries". Christian Science Monitor. 2007-07-26. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  16. ^ Firchow, Pamina; Ginty, Roger Mac (2017). "Measuring Peace: Comparability, Commensurability, and Complementarity Using Bottom-Up Indicators". International Studies Review. 19: 6–27. doi:10.1093/isr/vix001.