India ranked 126 out of 163 countries on the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2023, jumping nine places up from 135 in the previous report.
The report, released by Sydney-based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, stated that Afghanistan continued to be the least peaceful state in the world. In contrast, European continues to remain the most peaceful globally.
🌏The 10 most peaceful countries in the world
— IEP Global Peace Index (@GlobPeaceIndex) July 2, 2023
Iceland
Denmark
Ireland
New Zealand
Austria
Singapore
Portugal
Slovenia
Japan
Switzerland
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India’s Position
Among the South Asian countries, India is ranked fifth, lower than Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, but above Pakistan and Afghanistan.
India experienced an improvement of 3.5 per cent in overall peacefulness over the past year. According to the GPI, improvements in violent crime, neighbouring countries’ relations and political instability were behind this improvement.
The report stated that fewer incidents of cross-border violence and cease-fire violations with Pakistan and China in 2022, and reduced border incidents with China, helped India improve its rank.
India also featured among the top three countries with the largest increase in military expense at $40 billion, along with China ($180 billion) and the US ($70 billion).
Afghanistan Least Peaceful, Ukraine Falls 14 Places
The report mentioned that global peacefulness has deteriorated by 5 per cent since 2008.
According to the report, the five least peaceful countries in the world are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has continued to maintain its position for the fifth consecutive year. The Taliban spokesperson called the report’s findings “unjust.”
Furthermore, the report mentioned that the largest deterioration occurred in Ukraine owing to its ongoing conflict with Russia. The country’s overall rank decreased by 14 places, ranking 157 this year.
Russia and Ukraine are now ranked amongst the ten least peaceful countries in the world.
🌏Get insights into the global trends in peace, country rankings, the economic impact of violence, conflict hotspots and an overview of how to develop peaceful societies in the latest Global Peace Index report.
— IEP Global Peace Index (@GlobPeaceIndex) June 30, 2023
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Most Peaceful Countries, Improvements
Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria are the world’s five most peaceful countries.
The largest improvement in peacefulness occurred in Libya for the second successive year, followed by Burundi, Oman, Côte d’Ivoire, and Afghanistan.
The report stated that Europe is still the most peaceful region in the world despite military expenses and deteriorating neighbouring country relations due to the Ukraine War, and houses seven out of the ten most peaceful countries on earth.
US, China, Pakistan
China saw an improvement of 6 places and ranked 80th on the report, while Pakistan ranked 146 on the report with an overall improvement of two ranks.
According to the report, the US ranked 131st with no change in rank. Still, the situation in the country deteriorated slightly, with homicide rates reaching levels six times higher than in Western Europe.