GLOBAL PEACE INDEX

Why in news?:

The 17th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) was released, ranking 163 independent states and territories based on their level of peacefulness.

Important findings:

Most Peaceful: Iceland followed by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria.

Least Peaceful: Afghanistan followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

India: It has climbed two spots to the 126th position, showing over 3% improvement in peacefulness attributed to reductions in violent crime, improved relations with neighboring countries, and decreased political instability.

Deterioration in global peace: Over the past fifteen years, the global average score of peacefulness has declined by five percent, indicating a decline in peace worldwide.

What is the Global Peace Index?:A composite index measuring the peacefulness of countries made up of 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators each weighted on a scale of 1-5.

The lower the score the more peaceful the country

Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the Global Peace Index (GPI) is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.

It measures the state of peace across three domains:

the level of Societal Safety and Security,

the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict,

the degree of Militarisation.

Significance of GPI: It presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies.

Institute for Economics and Peace: The Institute for Economics and Peace is a global think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia.