Where Harmony Prevails: These Are The World's Most Peaceful Countries, 2023 Edition

Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland top the list of the world’s most peaceful countries in 2023, based on the Global Peace Index (GPI) report.

According to the findings published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, 84 countries recorded an improvement, while 79 experienced a dip in peace levels. This assessment covers 163 independent states and territories.

Global Peace Index 2023: Key insights

Compared to the previous year, the average level of country peacefulness has declined by 0.42 percent. This marks the ninth consecutive year of global peace levels dropping, as per the Global Peace Index 2023.

Of the 23 indicators in the Global Peace Index, the largest deteriorations were recorded in neighbouring country relations, intensity of internal conflict, refugees and IDPs, political terror scale and political instability.

Full report. https://t.co/90xgEm8EXT pic.twitter.com/eQ6xk9C0ET

— IEP Global Peace Index (@GlobPeaceIndex) November 21, 2023

The primary drivers of global peace deterioration were Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath. Consequently, both Russia and Ukraine ranked among the 10 least peaceful countries in 2023. Other factors contributing to the depletion in peace levels include external conflicts, deaths from internal conflicts, political instability, and relations with neighbouring countries.

While Europe remains the world’s most peaceful region, housing seven out of the ten most peaceful countries, it experienced a deterioration in all three GPI domains (societal safety and security, extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and degree of militarisation) due to tensions between European countries and Russia. As a result, Europe is now less peaceful compared to 15 years ago.

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The top 15 most peaceful countries and their GPI scores in 2023

In the face of global conflicts, countries that persevered excelled in parameters such as the fair distribution of resources, respect for the rights of others, amicable relations with neighbours, and the free flow of information. The overall score assigns 60 percent weight to internal peace and 40 percent weight to external peace. The closer the score is to 1, the more peaceful the country.

1. Iceland (1.124)
2. Denmark (1.31)
3. Ireland (1.312)
4. New Zealand (1.313)
5. Austria (1.316)
6. Singapore (1.332)
7. Portugal (1.333)
8. Slovenia (1.334)
9. Japan (1.336)
10. Switzerland (1.339)
11. Canada (1.35)
12. Czechia (1.379)
13. Finland (1.399)
14. Croatia (1.45)
15. Germany (1.456)

(Feature Image Credit: canadastock/Shutterstock)

Related: This Island Was Just Named The Most Peaceful Country In The World

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