Global Peace Index

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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]

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]

The GPI 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 May 2009, 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.[4][5] 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 last 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.[6]

Indicators of peacefulness

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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.[7] 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.[8]

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

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

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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.[10]

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."[11] 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."[12]

Criticism

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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".[13]

The Global Peace Index has been criticized for not including indicators specifically relating to violence against women and children.[14]

The impact of Global Peace Index has been lower on the academic study of war and peace than on international organizations.[15]

Previous reports

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  • "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

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Notes

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  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

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  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. ^ "'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.
  5. ^ "Global Peace Index 2023" (PDF). Institute for Economics & Peace. June 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  6. ^ "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
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ Endorsers for GPI — Vision of Humanity. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  11. ^ "Global Peace Index: World Less Peaceful in 2010 Report, Violence Impacting Global Economy $7 Trillion Annually". Phil's Stock World. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  12. ^ "Giving peace a chance? 2017 Global Peace Index". ANU. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  13. ^ "Give peace a rating". The Economist. 2007-05-31. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  14. ^ "Dark underbelly of the world's most 'peaceful' countries". Christian Science Monitor. 2007-07-26. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  15. ^ 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.
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