Context: 

The 2023 Global Peace Index (GPI) recently released its annual ranking of the most peaceful countries in the world.

About Global Peace Index:

• The GPI ranked 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. 
• Released by: Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
• Measurement Domains:
  • Societal safety and security
  • Ongoing domestic and international conflict
  • Militarisation

Key Findings

Global Trends:

• The average level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.42 per cent. 
• Over the last 15 years, the world has become less peaceful, with the average country score deteriorating by five per cent.
• Top 5 Peaceful Countries: 
  • Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world since 2008. 
  • It is accompanied at the top by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria.
• Bottom 5 Peaceful Countries: 
  • Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the eighth consecutive year. 
  • It is followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

India:

• India has occupied the 126th spot in the rankings.
• India experienced an improvement of 3.5 per cent in overall peacefulness over the past year, owing to improvements in violent crime, neighbouring countries’ relations, and political instability.
• Reduction in geopolitical tensions with China owing to the decrease in border incidents, less social unrest more generally, led to an improvement in the political instability indicator in India.

News Source: Indian Express