The Global Peace Index ranks countries by looking at, inter alia, the international and domestic conflicts the country is involved in, the level of harmony within the country, crime rate, incidence of terrorism, political stability, and violent protests.
In this year’s index, the think tank has reported that the average level of global peacefulness has improved slightly, with 86 countries improving, and 76 recording deterioration when it comes to peace.
As for Pakistan, the country has slipped two ranks from 151 last year. If Pakistan’s position in the global peace index is observed from 2008 to 2019, one sees an overall deterioration in the peacefulness of the country.
The country was ranked at 132 in 2018, and its position fell to 157 in 2013. From 2013 to 2018, the position improved slightly to 151, falling again to 153 this year.
In Pakistan, it is generally perceived that peacefulness has increased due to the country’s fight against terrorism. Throughout the last decade, Pakistan has carried out military operations against terrorists in the country. Pakistan’s falling rank indicates that the country also needs to put in an effort to improve other indicators that form the basis of the Global Peace Index such as domestic crime, political stability, national harmony etc.
Meanwhile, the least peaceful country’s position has been taken by Afghanistan, which was held by Syria last year. Other countries that outrank Pakistan in peacelessness include Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Russia and others. Moreover, Pakistan’s neighbour India has slipped four positions and is ranked at 141 out of the 163 countries.
On the other hand, the list is topped by Iceland, which has held the first position in the index ever since it was created in 2008. The top ten positions in the index are mostly dominated by European countries, with six of the positions being held by countries from Europe. Only two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore, have made it to the top ten. The other two are Canada and New Zealand.
Moreover, it is interesting to see Bhutan and Malaysia making it among the topmost countries of the Global Peace Index, coming at the 15th and 16th position respectively, even above countries like Norway and Sweden, which are famed for being peaceful.
Countries that rank below the 100 mark are mostly those from Africa, Middle East and Latin America, with the major European and North American countries being Ukraine, Russia, and surprisingly, the United States of America, which is ranked at 128. Even China has surpassed the United States when it comes to peacefulness, coming at the 110th position.
Furthermore, the report has indicated that the gap between the least and most peaceful countries in the world is rising, with the 25 least peaceful countries declining in peacefulness on average by 11.8 percent, and the 25 most peaceful countries improving on average by 1.7 percent.
More importantly, the report has identified climate change as a threat to world peace, with it having the potential to indirectly increase violent conflict through its effect on resource availability, migration, and livelihood.