“Global Peace Index 2021” Released

What is the News? The 15th edition of Global Peace Index 2021 has been released.

About Global Peace Index:

• The Global Peace Index is released by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), an international think tank.
• Aim: The index presents the most comprehensive analysis of trends in peace. It ranks countries according to their levels of peacefulness and identifies potential determinants of peace.
• Coverage: The index measures the peacefulness of 163 countries and territories. It covers 99.7% of the world’s population.
• Parameters: The index is composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources. These indicators are grouped into three key domains:
  • ongoing conflict
  • safety and security and
  • militarization

Read Also :-Afghan Peace Process and India

Key Takeaways from the index:

• Iceland has topped the peace index. It was followed by New Zealand, Denmark, and Portugal.
  • Out of the 10 most peaceful countries in the world, 8 are from Europe.
• Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
• Only three out of nine regions in the world improved in the peace index. The largest improvement took place in the Middle East and North Africa.
• The economic impact of violence on the global economy in 2020 was $14.96 trillion in purchasing power parity(PPP) terms. It is equivalent to 11.6% of the world’s economic activity.
• There was an increase in military expenditure as a percentage of GDP for the second straight year. This indicator has deteriorated in 105 countries.
• Moreover, the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.07% in the Index. This is the ninth time in the last 13 years that global peacefulness has deteriorated.

India:

• India has been ranked 135th in the 2021 Global Peace Index.
• Bhutan and Nepal are the first and second most peaceful in the South Asia region. India is the 5th most peaceful country in this region.
• Bangladesh was 91st out of 163 countries across the world, while it was at 3rd place in South Asia.
• Pakistan witnessed the most improvement in peacefulness, with 150th rank globally and 6th in the South Asia region.

Source: AIR