Iceland is the world’s most peaceful country; check where India stands

Source: The post is based on the article “Iceland is the world’s most peaceful country; check where India stands” published in Indian Express on 7th July 2023

What is the News?

The 2023 Global Peace Index(GPI) has been released.

What is the Global Peace Index(GPI)?

Released by: Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)

Aim: To present the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies.

Countries covered: The index covers 163 countries comprising 99.7 percent of the world’s population.

Parameters: It measures the state of peace across three domains: 1) Societal safety and security 2) Ongoing domestic and international conflict and 3) Militarisation.

What are the key findings of the 2023 Global Peace Index(GPI)?

Globally: The average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated by 0.42%.

– Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world – a title it has held since 2008.

– Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the eighth consecutive year.

India: India has occupied the 126th spot in the rankings, two higher than its previous position.

– India has experienced an improvement of 3.5 per cent in overall peacefulness over the past year, owing to improvements in violent crime, neighboring countries’ relations and political instability.

– Further, the reduction in geopolitical tensions with China owing to the decrease in border incidents as well as less social unrest has led to an improvement in the political instability in India.