The World Is Slightly More Peaceful Than A Year Ago

The U.S. drops to No. 128 out of 163 countries studied due to increased violence, political instability and a weakening view of its leadership.

By Lauren Favre

WITH FEW NOTABLE exceptions that include the United States, the world reversed a recent trend and became slightly more peaceful in the past year, according to a recently released international study.

And while Canada ranks as one of the 10 most peaceful countries, the overall level of peacefulness in North America declined due to deteriorating conditions in the U.S., according to the 13th annual Global Peace Index (GPI), a study produced by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace. The independent non-profit think tank ranked 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness.

The U.S. ranks 128th – between South Africa and Saudi Arabia – due to increases in homicide rates and other violent crime, along with continued political instability.

The average level of global peace improved for the first time in five years, but the world still remains less peaceful than a decade ago, the study's authors said. Additionally, global perceptions of trust in the world's most powerful countries has fallen since 2008. Confidence in U.S. leadership has fallen more than confidence in Russian, Chinese and German leadership in the past five years, with people now reporting more confidence in German and Chinese leadership than the U.S.

Of the 163 nations examined, 86 were found to have improved since the previous year, while 76 recorded deterioration.

"Although peace has improved in the 2019 GPI, a deeper analysis finds a mixture of positive and negative trends," Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the institute, said in a statement.

Iceland maintained its title as the most peaceful country in the world, a title the country has held since 2008. Iceland was followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark. On the flip side, Afghanistan was reported as the least peaceful country, followed by Syria, South Sudan and Yemen and Iraq.

All three regions in the Americas were found to have decreased in peacefulness. Europe remained the most peaceful region while the Middle East and North Africa maintained its standing as the least peaceful.

Using 23 "peace indicators," the GPI measured the levels of peace through three filters: safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or international conflict, and the degree of militarization. Researchers considered 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators to determine scores, including the number of casualties from terrorism and conflicts in that country, the number of murders per capita and the ratio of military spending to gross domestic product.

Many indicators have improved since last year's GPI, and the indicator with the largest improvement was the increase in U.N. peacekeeping funding, with 100 countries recording improvements. Militarization scores also improved, with recorded decreases in both military expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product and the size of armies around the world.

Countries that experienced the largest improvements in peace were Ukraine, Sudan, Egypt, Macedonia and Rwanda. Still, the study's authors noted the challenges the world faces in improving peace.

"Terrorism and internal conflict have been the greatest contributors to the global deterioration in peacefulness," according to the report. Despite improvements in some of the more intense conflicts and the defeat of the Islamic State group, the index noted that the ongoing conflict filter was the only one to deteriorate in the 2019 GPI. Groups of countries becoming involved in a number of smaller conflicts across the globe contributed to the deterioration, according to the findings.

The study also examined the challenges climate change poses to peace and found that more than 400 million people live in areas with low levels of peacefulness and high risk from climate change. Environmental risks and resource scarcity can have devastating impacts on a country, the study's authors said. For instance, Somalia, the sixth least-peaceful country, was found to have the highest risk of drought among all the countries that were studied.

Perceptions of peacefulness vary across the globe, according to the index. While more people say they have more freedom, experience more satisfaction with life and are treated with more respect, respondents also said they experience greater feelings of sadness, worry and stress.

Further, strong correlations between perceptions and actual peace have been found, according to the study. "Many of the trends recorded over the last decade highlight the complexity of global peace," said Killelea, the institute's executive chairman.

Most Peaceful Countries

GLOBAL PEACE INDEX RANK

1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Portugal
4. Austria
5. Denmark
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Slovenia
9. Japan
10. Czech Republic

The Least Peaceful Countries

GLOBAL PEACE INDEX RANKING

1. Afghanistan
2. Syria
3. South Sudan
4. Yemen
5. Iraq
6. Somalia
7. Central African Republic
8. Libya
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo
10. Russia

These Countries Still Hunt Whales

BEST COUNTRIES RANKINGS

1. Switzerland
2. Japan
3. Canada
4. Germany
5. United Kingdom

-US News