Global Peace Index

Global Peace Index 2023. Countries appearing with a deeper shade of green are ranked as more peaceful, countries appearing more red are ranked as more violent.

Global Peace Index (GPI) is a report produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) which measures the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness. The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories (collectively accounting for 99.7 per cent of the world's population) according to their levels of peacefulness. In the past decade, the GPI has presented trends of increased global violence and less peacefulness.

The GPI is developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Index was first launched in May 2009, with subsequent reports being released annually. In 2015 it ranked 165 countries, up from 121 in 2007. The study was conceived by Australian technology entrepreneur Steve Killelea, and is endorsed by individuals such as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama, archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President of Finland and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, economist Jeffrey Sachs, former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson and former United States president Jimmy Carter. The updated index is released each year at events in London, Washington, DC, and at the United Nations Secretariat in New York.

The 2023 GPI indicates Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria to be the most peaceful countries, and Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo to be the least peaceful. The key findings of the 2023 GPI include a less peaceful world over the last 15 years, a 5 per cent deterioration in the global level of peace over the last 15 years and a growing inequality in peace between the most and least peaceful countries.

The main findings of the 2023 Global Peace Index are:

• The overall score for the 2023 GPI deteriorated this year due to a reduction in six of the nine geographical regions represented. However, more countries improved their levels of peacefulness than deteriorated: 84 compared to 79.
• The total number of conflict-related deaths increased by 96 per cent.
• The global economic cost of violence was $17.5 trillion PPP in 2022, equivalent to 12.9 per cent of global GDP, or $2,200 per person.
• Last year saw a shift in the global distribution of violence. Major conflicts in the MENA region and South Asia declined, while conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific intensified.
• The Safety and Security and Ongoing Conflict domains both deteriorated, while the Militarisation domain recorded a slight improvement, continuing a long-term trend of improvement.
• Of the 23 GPI indicators, ten recorded an improvement, 11 had a deterioration, and two recorded no change over the past year.
• The two indicators with the largest deteriorations in 2022 were conflict-related, external conflicts fought and deaths from internal conflict, followed by political instability.
• The indicators with the biggest improvement were UN peacekeeping funding and military expenditure.

International panel

The international panel for the 2016 and 2017 GPI consisted of:

• Kevin P. Clements, Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand
• Sabina Alkire, Director, Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
• Ian Anthony, Research Coordinator and Director of the Programme on Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Sweden
• Isabelle Arrandon, Director of Research and Deputy Director of Communications & Outreach, International Crisis Group, Belgium
• Manuela Mesa, Director, Centre for Education and Peace Research (CEIPAZ) and President, Spanish Association for Peace Research (AIPAZ), Madrid, Spain
• Nick Grono, CEO, The Freedom Fund, United Kingdom
• Ekaterina Stepanova, Head, Unit on Peace and Conflict Studies, Institute of the World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

Methodology

In assessing peacefulness, the GPI investigates the extent to which countries are involved in ongoing domestic and international conflicts and seeks to evaluate the level of harmony or discord within a nation. Ten indicators broadly assess what might be described as safety and security in society. Their assertion is that low crime rates, minimal incidences of terrorist acts and violent demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, a stable political scene, and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or refugees can be suggestive of peacefulness.

In 2017, 23 indicators were used to establish peacefulness scores for each country. The indicators were originally selected with the assistance of an expert panel in 2007 and are reviewed by the expert panel on an annual basis. The scores for each indicator are normalized on a scale of 1–5, whereby qualitative indicators are banded into five groupings, and quantitative ones are scored from 1–5, to the third decimal point. A table of the indicators is below. In the table, UCDP stands for the Uppsala Conflict Data Program maintained by the University of Uppsala in Sweden, EIU for The Economist Intelligence Unit, UNSCT for the United Nations Survey of Criminal Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, ICPS is the International Centre for Prison Studies at King's College London, IISS for the International Institute for Strategic Studies publication The Military Balance, and SIPRI for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Arms Transfers Database.

	Indicator	Source	Coding
1	Number and duration of internal conflicts	UCDP, IEP	Total number
2	Number of deaths from external organized conflict	UCDP Armed Conflict Dataset	Total number
3	Number of deaths from internal organized conflict	International Institute for Strategic Studies, Armed Conflict Database	Total number
4	Number, duration, and role in external conflicts	UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset, IEP	Total number
5	Intensity of organized internal conflict	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
6	Relations with neighbouring countries	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
7	Level of perceived criminality in society	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
8	Number of refugees and displaced persons as percentage of population	UNHCR and IDMC	Refugee population by country or territory of origin, plus the number of a country's internally displaced people (IDP's) as a percentage of the country's total population
9	Political instability	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
10	Impact of terrorism	Global Terrorism Index (IEP)	Quantitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
11	Political terror	Amnesty International and US State Department	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
12	Number of homicides per 100,000 people	UNODC Surveys on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (CTS); EIU estimates	Total number
13	Level of violent crime	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
14	Likelihood of violent demonstrations	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5
15	Number of jailed persons per 100,000 people	World Prison Brief, Institute for Criminal Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London	Total number
16	Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people	UNODC CTS; EIU estimates	Total number; Civil police force distinct from national guards or local militia
17	Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP	The Military Balance and IISS	Cash outlays of central or federal government to meet costs of national armed forces, as a percentage of GDP, scores from 1 to 5 based on percentages
18	Number of armed-services personnel per 100,000	The Military Balance and IISS	All full-time active armed-services personnel
19	Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000 people	SIPRI Arms Transfers Database	Imports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
20	Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people	SIPRI Arms Transfers Database	Exports of major conventional weapons per 100,000 people
21	Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions	United Nations Committee on Contributions and IEP	Percentage of countries' "outstanding payments versus their annual assessment to the budget of the current peacekeeping missions" over an average of three years, scored from 1–5 scale based on percentage of promised contributions met
22	Nuclear and heavy weapons capability	The Military Balance, IISS, SIPRI, UN Register of Conventional Arms and IEP	1–5 scale based on accumulated points; 1 point per armoured vehicle and artillery pieces, 5 points per tank, 20 points per combat aircraft, 100 points per warship, 1000 points for aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine
23	Ease of access to small arms and light weapons	EIU	Qualitative scale, ranked 1 to 5

Indicators not already ranked on a 1 to 5 scale were converted by using the following formula: x = [x - min(x)] / [max(x) - min(x)], where max(x) and min(x) are the highest and lowest values for that indicator of the countries ranked in the index. The 0 to 1 scores that resulted were then converted to the 1 to 5 scale. Individual indicators were then weighted according to the expert panel's judgment of their importance. The scores were then tabulated into two weighted sub-indices: internal peace, weighted at 60% of a country's final score, and external peace, weighted at 40% of a country's final score. "Negative Peace", defined as the absence of violence or of the fear of violence, is used as the definition of peace to create the Global Peace Index. An additional aim of the GPI database is to facilitate deeper study of the concept of positive peace, or those attitudes, institutions, and structures that drive peacefulness in society. The GPI also examines relationships between peace and reliable international measures, including democracy and transparency, education and material well-being. As such, it seeks to understand the relative importance of a range of potential determinants, or "drivers", which may influence the nurturing of peaceful societies, both internally and externally.

Statistical analysis is applied to GPI data to uncover specific conditions conducive of peace. Researchers have determined that Positive Peace, which includes the attitudes, institutions, and structures that pre-empt conflict and facilitate functional societies, is the main driver of peace. The eight pillars of positive peace are well-functioning government, sound business environment, acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbours, free flow of information, high levels of human capital, low levels of corruption, and equitable distribution of resources. Well-functioning government, low levels of corruption, acceptance of the rights of others, and good relations with neighbours are more important in countries suffering from high levels of violence. Free flow of information and sound business environment become more important when a country is approaching the global average level of peacefulness, also described as the Mid-Peace level. Low levels of corruption is the only Pillar that is strongly significant across all three levels of peacefulness. This suggests it is an important transformational factor at all stages of a nation's development.

Global Peace Index rankings

2020–present

Country	2023		2022		2021		2020
	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score
Iceland	1	1.124	1	1.107	1	1.100	1	1.078
Denmark	2	1.310	4	1.296	3	1.256	5	1.283
Ireland	3	1.312	3	1.288	8	1.326	12	1.375
New Zealand	4	1.313	2	1.269	2	1.253	2	1.198
Austria	5	1.316	5	1.300	6	1.317	4	1.275
Singapore	6	1.332	9	1.326	11	1.347	7	1.321
Portugal	7	1.333	6	1.301	4	1.267	3	1.247
Slovenia	8	1.334	7	1.316	5	1.315	11	1.369
Japan	9	1.336	10	1.336	12	1.373	9	1.360
Switzerland	10	1.339	11	1.357	7	1.323	10	1.366
Canada	11	1.350	12	1.389	10	1.330	6	1.298
Czechia	12	1.379	8	1.318	9	1.329	8	1.337
Finland	13	1.399	14	1.439	13	1.402	14	1.404
Croatia	14	1.450	15	1.440	17=	1.480	26	1.615
Germany	15	1.456	16	1.462	17=	1.480	16	1.494
Netherlands	16	1.490	21	1.522	21	1.506	21	1.528
Bhutan	17	1.496	19	1.481	22	1.510	19	1.501
Hungary	18	1.508	13	1.411	19	1.494	24	1.559
Malaysia	19	1.513	18	1.471	23	1.515	20	1.525
Belgium	20	1.523	22	1.526	20	1.496	17=	1.496
Qatar	21	1.524	23	1.533	29	1.605	27	1.616
Australia	22	1.525	27	1.565	16	1.470	13	1.386
Mauritius	23	1.546	28	1.570	28	1.592	23	1.544
Norway	24	1.550	17	1.465	14	1.438	17=	1.496
Estonia	25	1.563	33	1.662	30	1.612	30	1.680
Slovakia	26	1.578	20	1.499	26	1.557	25	1.568
Latvia	27	1.582	35	1.673	35	1.686	34	1.700
Sweden	28	1.625	26	1.564	15	1.460	15	1.479
Poland	29	1.634	25	1.552	24	1.524	29	1.657
Bulgaria	30	1.640	24	1.541	27	1.577	28	1.628
Romania	31=	1.649	31	1.640	25	1.530	22	1.541
Spain	31=	1.649	29	1.603	31	1.621	38	1.712
Taiwan	31=	1.649	30	1.618	34	1.662	37	1.707
Italy	34	1.662	32	1.643	32	1.652	31	1.690
Kuwait	35	1.669	39	1.739	36	1.688	39=	1.723
Lithuania	36	1.671	37	1.724	37	1.689	36	1.705
United Kingdom	37	1.693	34	1.667	33	1.658	42	1.770
North Macedonia	38	1.713	36	1.704	40	1.744	62	1.900
Costa Rica	39	1.731	38	1.732	39	1.735	32	1.691
Albania	40=	1.745	41	1.761	48	1.824	55	1.872
Vietnam	40=	1.745	44	1.786	50	1.835	64=	1.920
Botswana	42	1.762	48=	1.801	41	1.753	33	1.693
South Korea	43	1.763	43	1.779	57	1.877	48	1.829
Mongolia	44	1.765	42	1.775	42=	1.783	39=	1.723
Montenegro	45	1.772	48=	1.801	51	1.847	69	1.944
Laos	46	1.779	51	1.809	45	1.809	50	1.843
Sierra Leone	47	1.792	50	1.803	46	1.813	46	1.820
Oman	48	1.794	64	1.889	73	1.982	68	1.941
Timor-Leste	49	1.796	54	1.839	56	1.873	54	1.863
Uruguay	50	1.798	46	1.795	47	1.817	35	1.704
Ghana	51	1.799	40	1.759	38	1.715	43	1.776
Senegal	52	1.827	70	1.916	54	1.864	47	1.824
Indonesia	53	1.829	47	1.800	42=	1.783	49	1.831
Argentina	54	1.837	69	1.911	68	1.945	74	1.978
Madagascar	55	1.846	84	1.995	70	1.963	63	1.905
Namibia	56	1.859	68	1.908	65	1.927	53	1.861
Moldova	57	1.873	62=	1.882	59=	1.909	71	1.950
Chile	58	1.874	55	1.840	49	1.831	45	1.804
The Gambia	59	1.888	45	1.792	53	1.853	60=	1.891
Greece	60	1.890	53	1.838	66	1.932	57=	1.877
Bosnia and Herzegovina	61	1.892	58	1.850	72	1.970	79	2.040
Jordan	62	1.895	57	1.849	63	1.916	72	1.958
Zambia	63	1.898	56	1.841	71	1.964	44	1.794
Cyprus	64	1.904	67	1.903	61	1.912	64=	1.920
Serbia	65	1.921	52	1.832	44	1.797	51	1.846
Armenia	66	1.929	83	1.992	94	2.075	99=	2.135
France	67	1.939	65=	1.895	55	1.868	66	1.930
Panama	68=	1.942	61	1.876	64	1.919	56	1.875
Paraguay	68=	1.942	77	1.976	75	1.997	75	1.991
Trinidad and Tobago	70=	1.946	88	2.005	84	2.029	88	2.078
Kosovo	70=	1.946	71	1.938	80=	2.017	85	2.070
Liberia	70=	1.946	75=	1.973	76=	1.998	57=	1.877
Cambodia	73	1.947	62=	1.882	78	2.008	78	2.011
Malawi	74	1.970	65=	1.895	59=	1.909	59	1.885
United Arab Emirates	75	1.979	60	1.865	52	1.848	41	1.752
Kazakhstan	76	1.980	97	2.071	67	1.936	70	1.948
Jamaica	77	1.986	81=	1.990	74	1.992	80	2.041
Bolivia	78	2.001	80	1.989	105	2.140	86=	2.074
Nepal	79	2.006	73	1.947	85	2.033	73	1.974
China	80	2.009	89	2.010	100=	2.114	104	2.166
Tunisia	81	2.010	85	1.996	98	2.108	92	2.090
Equatorial Guinea	82	2.013	59	1.863	62	1.915	60=	1.891
Dominican Republic	83	2.019	81=	1.990	82	2.024	76	1.992
Angola	84=	2.020	78	1.982	80=	2.017	91	2.087
Morocco	84=	2.020	74	1.969	79	2.015	83	2.057
Uzbekistan	86	2.033	86=	2.001	90	2.062	103	2.158
Guinea-Bissau	87	2.045	110	2.156	99	2.113	101=	2.157
Bangladesh	88=	2.051	96	2.067	91	2.068	97	2.121
Rwanda	88=	2.051	72	1.945	83	2.028	81	2.049
Cote d'Ivoire	90	2.053	108	2.144	103=	2.123	105	2.169
Tanzania	91	2.058	86=	2.001	58	1.892	52	1.850
Thailand	92	2.061	103	2.098	113	2.205	114	2.245
Gabon	93	2.068	75=	1.973	93	2.074	95=	2.116
Georgia	94	2.071	95	2.065	89	2.054	95=	2.116
Azerbaijan	95	2.090	128	2.437	121	2.334	120	2.300
Algeria	96	2.094	109	2.146	120	2.310	117=	2.287
Ecuador	97=	2.095	79	1.988	88	2.044	90	2.085
Papua New Guinea	97=	2.095	94	2.046	107	2.149	101=	2.157
Cuba	99	2.103	98	2.083	87	2.042	86=	2.074
Turkmenistan	100	2.107	104	2.116	109	2.154	116	2.276
Kyrgyz Republic	101	2.110	91	2.028	76=	1.998	93	2.094
Tajikistan	102	2.114	92	2.031	97	2.095	107	2.188
Guatemala	103=	2.130	106	2.139	111	2.195	115	2.267
Peru	103=	2.130	101	2.091	86	2.034	84	2.066
Togo	103=	2.130	102	2.094	115	2.239	108	2.201
Guyana	106	2.134	107	2.140	100=	2.114	82	2.050
Sri Lanka	107	2.136	90	2.020	95	2.083	77	2.003
Bahrain	108	2.145	99	2.085	102	2.121	110	2.209
Eswatini	109	2.168	93	2.033	69	1.995	67	1.934
Benin	110	2.177	105	2.125	96	2.093	106	2.182
Lesotho	111	2.191	100	2.089	112	2.202	98	2.131
Djibouti	112	2.196	113	2.213	106	2.146	112	2.215
Republic of the Congo	113	2.210	111	2.184	119	2.291	124	2.343
Mauritania	114	2.228	112	2.193	118	2.290	117=	2.287
Philippines	115	2.229	125	2.339	127	2.417	129	2.471
Belarus	116	2.248	116	2.259	117	2.285	94	2.111
Kenya	117	2.254	120	2.303	116	2.254	125	2.375
Mozambique	118	2.259	122	2.316	103=	2.123	99=	2.135
Saudi Arabia	119	2.260	119	2.288	125	2.376	128	2.443
Honduras	120	2.265	117	2.269	124	2.371	119	2.288
Egypt	121	2.267	126	2.342	126	2.397	130	2.481
El Salvador	122	2.279	114	2.231	110	2.184	113	2.243
Nicaragua	123	2.294	124	2.334	130	2.445	135	2.553
Zimbabwe	124=	2.300	127	2.350	133	2.490	131	2.485
Uganda	124=	2.300	121	2.309	114	2.219	109	2.202
India	126	2.314	135	2.578	135	2.553	139	2.628
Guinea	127	2.359	123	2.332	92	2.069	89	2.082
Burundi	128	2.393	131	2.470	129	2.434	132	2.506
Haiti	129	2.395	115	2.254	108	2.151	111	2.211
South Africa	130	2.405	118	2.283	123	2.344	123	2.317
United States of America	131	2.448	129	2.440	122	2.337	121	2.307
Brazil	132	2.462	130	2.465	128	2.430	126	2.413
Eritrea	133	2.505	132	2.494	136	2.555	136	2.567
Palestine	134	2.538	133	2.552	138	2.610	143	2.699
Lebanon	135	2.581	138	2.615	147	2.797	146	2.828
Mexico	136	2.599	137	2.612	140	2.620	137	2.572
Libya	137	2.605	151	2.930	156	3.166	157	3.258
Niger	138	2.625	140	2.655	137	2.589	138	2.608
Cameroon	139	2.660	142	2.709	145	2.700	141	2.650
Venezuela	140=	2.693	148	2.798	152	2.934	149	2.936
Colombia	140=	2.693	144	2.729	144	2.694	140	2.646
Chad	142	2.699	136	2.591	132	2.489	134	2.538
Israel	143	2.706	134	2.576	143	2.669	145	2.775
Nigeria	144	2.713	143	2.725	146	2.712	147	2.865
Myanmar	145	2.741	139	2.631	131	2.457	127	2.424
Pakistan	146	2.745	147	2.789	150	2.868	152	2.973
Turkey	147=	2.800	145	2.785	149	2.843	150	2.959
Iran	147=	2.800	141	2.687	141	2.637	142	2.672
North Korea	149	2.848	152	2.942	151	2.923	151	2.962
Burkina Faso	150	2.868	146	2.786	134	2.527	122	2.316
Ethiopia	151	2.872	149	2.806	139	2.613	133	2.526
Central African Republic	152	2.934	155	3.021	155	3.131	155	3.237
Mali	153	2.963	150	2.911	148	2.813	144	2.729
Iraq	154	3.006	157	3.157	159	3.257	161	3.487
Sudan	155	3.023	154	3.007	153	2.936	153	3.043
Somalia	156	3.036	156	3.125	158	3.211	158	3.302
Ukraine	157	3.043	153	2.971	142	2.660	148	2.927
Russia	158	3.142	160	3.275	154	2.993	154	3.049
Democratic Republic of the Congo	159	3.214	158	3.166	157	3.196	156	3.243
South Sudan	160	3.221	159	3.184	160	3.363	160	3.447
Syria	161	3.294	161	3.356	161	3.371	162	3.539
Yemen	162	3.350	162	3.394	162	3.407	159	3.411
Afghanistan	163	3.448	163	3.554	163	3.631	163	3.644

2010–2019

Country	2019		2018		2017		2016		2015		2014		2013		2012		2011		2010
	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score
Luxembourg	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		7=	1.341
Iceland	1	1.072	1	1.096	1	1.111	1	1.192	1	1.148	1	1.189	1	1.162	1	1.113	1	1.148	2	1.212
New Zealand	2	1.221	2	1.192	2	1.241	4	1.287	4	1.221	4	1.236	3	1.237	2=	1.239	2	1.279	1	1.188
Portugal	3	1.274	4	1.318	3	1.258	5	1.356	11	1.344	18	1.425	18	1.467	16	1.470	17	1.453	13	1.366
Austria	4	1.291	3	1.274	4	1.265	3	1.278	3	1.198	3	1.200	4	1.250	6=	1.328	6	1.337	4	1.290
Denmark	5	1.316	5	1.353	5	1.337	2	1.246	2	1.150	2	1.193	2	1.207	2=	1.239	4	1.289	7=	1.341
Canada	6	1.327	6	1.372	8	1.371	8	1.388	7	1.287	7	1.306	8	1.306	4	1.317	8	1.355	14	1.392
Singapore	7	1.347	8	1.382	21	1.534	20	1.535	24	1.490	25	1.545	16=	1.438	23	1.521	24	1.585	30	1.624
Slovenia	8	1.355	11	1.396	7	1.364	10	1.408	15	1.378	14	1.398	13	1.374	8	1.330	10	1.358	11	1.358
Japan	9	1.369	9	1.391	10=	1.408	9	1.395	8	1.322	8	1.316	6	1.293	5	1.326	3	1.287	3	1.247
Czech Republic	10	1.375	7	1.381	6	1.360	6	1.360	10	1.341	11=	1.381	14	1.404	13	1.396	5	1.320	12	1.360
Switzerland	11	1.383	12	1.407	9	1.373	7	1.370	5	1.275	5	1.258	5	1.272	10	1.349	16	1.421	18	1.424
Ireland	12	1.390	10	1.393	10=	1.408	12	1.433	12	1.354	13	1.384	12	1.370	6=	1.328	11	1.370	6	1.337
Australia	13	1.419	13	1.435	12	1.425	15	1.465	9	1.329	15	1.414	16=	1.438	22	1.494	18	1.455	19	1.467
Finland	14	1.488	15	1.506	17	1.515	11	1.429	6	1.277	6	1.297	7	1.297	9	1.348	7	1.352	9	1.352
Bhutan	15	1.506	19	1.545	13	1.474	13	1.445	18	1.416	16	1.422	20	1.487	19	1.481	34	1.693	36	1.665
Malaysia	16	1.529	25	1.619	29	1.637	30	1.648	28	1.561	33	1.659	29	1.574	20	1.485	19	1.467	22	1.539
Netherlands	17	1.530	23	1.574	19=	1.525	21	1.541	20	1.432	20	1.475	22	1.508	28	1.606	25	1.628	27	1.610
Belgium	18=	1.533	21	1.560	19=	1.525	18	1.528	14	1.368	9	1.354	10	1.339	11	1.376	14	1.213	17	1.400
Sweden	18=	1.533	14	1.502	18	1.516	14	1.461	13	1.360	11=	1.381	9	1.319	14	1.419	13	1.401	10	1.354
Norway	20	1.536	16	1.519	14	1.486	17	1.500	17	1.393	10	1.371	11	1.359	18	1.480	9	1.356	5	1.322
Hungary	21	1.540	17=	1.531	15	1.494	19	1.534	22	1.463	21	1.482	23	1.520	17	1.476	20	1.495	20	1.495
Germany	22	1.547	17=	1.531	16	1.500	16	1.486	16	1.379	17	1.423	15	1.431	15	1.424	15	1.416	16	1.398
Slovakia	23	1.550	22	1.568	26	1.611	24	1.603	23	1.478	19	1.467	33	1.622	26	1.590	23	1.576	21	1.536
Mauritius	24	1.562	20	1.548	22	1.547	23	1.559	25	1.503	24	1.544	21	1.497	21	1.487	—		—
Romania	25	1.606	24	1.596	25	1.600	31	1.649	26	1.542	35	1.677	30	1.584	32	1.627	40	1.742	45	1.749
Bulgaria	26	1.607	26	1.635	28	1.631	29	1.646	32	1.607	32	1.637	34=	1.663	39	1.699	53	1.845	50	1.785
Chile	27	1.634	28	1.649	24	1.595	27	1.635	29	1.563	30	1.591	31	1.589	30	1.616	38	1.710	28	1.616
Croatia	28	1.645	27	1.639	31	1.665	26	1.633	27	1.550	26=	1.548	28	1.571	35	1.648	37	1.699	41	1.707
Poland	29	1.654	32	1.727	33	1.676	22	1.557	19	1.430	23	1.532	25	1.530	24	1.524	22	1.545	29	1.618
Botswana	30	1.676	29	1.659	27	1.622	28	1.639	31	1.597	36	1.678	32	1.598	31	1.621	35	1.695	33	1.641
Qatar	31	1.696	56	1.869	30	1.664	34	1.716	30	1.568	22	1.491	19	1.480	12	1.395	12	1.398	15	1.394
Spain	32	1.699	30	1.678	23	1.568	25	1.604	21	1.451	26=	1.548	27	1.563	25	1.548	28	1.641	25	1.588
Costa Rica	33	1.706	40	1.767	34	1.701	33	1.699	34	1.654	42	1.781	40	1.755	36	1.659	31	1.681	26	1.590
Uruguay	34	1.711	37	1.761	35	1.709	35	1.726	44	1.721	29	1.565	24	1.528	33	1.628	21	1.521	24	1.568
Latvia	35	1.718	31	1.689	32	1.670	32	1.680	40	1.695	39	1.745	41=	1.772	45	1.774	46	1.793	54	1.827
Taiwan	36	1.725	34	1.736	40	1.782	41	1.787	35	1.657	28	1.558	26	1.538	27	1.602	27	1.637	35	1.664
Estonia	37	1.727	33	1.732	36	1.712	36	1.732	38	1.677	31	1.635	38	1.710	41	1.715	47	1.798	46	1.751
Lithuania	38	1.728	36	1.749	37	1.732	37	1.735	37	1.674	46	1.797	43	1.784	43	1.741	43	1.760	42	1.713
Italy	39	1.754	38=	1.766	38	1.737	39	1.774	36	1.669	34	1.675	34=	1.663	38	1.690	45	1.775	40	1.701
Malawi	40	1.779	44	1.811	48	1.825	45	1.817	51	1.814	77	1.995	74=	1.984	60	1.894	39	1.740	51=	1.813
Indonesia	41	1.785	55	1.853	52	1.850	42	1.799	46=	1.768	54	1.853	54	1.879	63	1.913	68	1.979	67	1.946
Mongolia	42	1.792	46=	1.821	46	1.801	50	1.838	43	1.706	41	1.778	64	1.921	58	1.884	57	1.880	92	2.101
Kuwait	43	1.794	42	1.799	58	1.909	51	1.842	33	1.626	37	1.679	37	1.705	47	1.792	29	1.667	39	1.693
Ghana	44	1.796	41	1.772	43	1.793	44	1.809	54	1.840	61=	1.902	58	1.899	50	1.807	42	1.752	48	1.781
Laos	45=	1.801	46=	1.821	45	1.800	52	1.852	41	1.700	38	1.723	39	1.724	37	1.662	32	1.687	34	1.661
United Kingdom	45=	1.801	57	1.876	41=	1.786	47	1.830	39	1.685	47	1.798	44	1.787	29	1.609	26	1.631	31	1.631
Panama	47	1.804	50	1.826	49	1.835	49	1.837	64=	1.903	57	1.877	56	1.893	61	1.899	49	1.812	61	1.878
East Timor	48=	1.805	59	1.895	53	1.866	56	1.879	58	1.860	69	1.947	51	1.854	—		—		—
Zambia	48=	1.805	48	1.822	41=	1.786	40	1.783	55	1.846	44	1.791	48	1.832	51	1.830	52	1.833	51=	1.813
Serbia	50	1.812	54	1.851	56	1.888	48	1.834	46=	1.768	52=	1.849	62	1.912	64	1.920	84	2.071	90	2.071
Albania	51	1.821	52=	1.849	57	1.908	54	1.867	52	1.821	65	1.939	69	1.961	66=	1.927	63	1.912	65	1.925
Sierra Leone	52	1.822	35	1.740	39	1.760	43	1.805	59	1.864	66=	1.942	59	1.904	52	1.855	61	1.904	53	1.818
United Arab Emirates	53	1.847	45	1.820	65	1.944	61	1.931	49=	1.805	40	1.748	36	1.679	46	1.785	33	1.690	44	1.739
Tanzania	54	1.860	51	1.837	54	1.876	58	1.899	64=	1.903	59=	1.889	55	1.887	55	1.873	56	1.858	55	1.832
Madagascar	55=	1.867	38=	1.766	44	1.797	38	1.763	67	1.911	66=	1.942	90=	2.074	99=	2.124	105	2.239	77=	2.019
South Korea	55=	1.867	49	1.823	47	1.823	53	1.858	42	1.701	52=	1.849	47	1.822	42	1.734	50	1.829	43	1.715
Vietnam	57	1.877	60	1.905	59	1.919	59	1.906	56	1.848	45	1.792	41=	1.772	34	1.641	30	1.670	38	1.691
Senegal	58	1.883	52=	1.849	60	1.929	70	1.978	49=	1.805	72	1.974	85	2.061	78	1.994	77	2.047	79	2.031
Liberia	59	1.889	63	1.931	82	2.023	72=	1.998	78	1.963	84	2.014	80	2.048	101	2.131	96=	2.159	99	2.148
France	60=	1.892	61	1.909	51	1.839	46	1.829	45	1.742	48=	1.808	53	1.863	40	1.710	36	1.697	32	1.636
Namibia	60=	1.892	43	1.806	50	1.838	55	1.873	48	1.784	48=	1.808	46	1.807	49	1.804	54	1.850	59	1.864
The Gambia	62	1.908	76	1.989	110	2.211	92=	2.091	99	2.086	94	2.085	93	2.091	74	1.961	62	1.910	63	1.890
Cyprus	63	1.914	62	1.913	64	1.940	71	1.994	68	1.924	51	1.844	49=	1.840	73	1.957	71	2.013	76	2.013
Kazakhstan	64	1.932	70	1.974	72	1.992	75	2.019	87	2.008	103	2.150	78	2.031	105	2.151	93	2.137	95=	2.113
Greece	65=	1.933	79	2.020	73	1.998	82	2.044	61	1.878	86	2.052	68	1.957	77	1.976	65	1.947	62	1.887
North Macedonia	65=	1.933	87	2.058	102	2.133	94	2.092	71=	1.944	87=	2.056	79	2.044	68	1.935	78	2.048	83=	2.048
Montenegro	67	1.939	58	1.893	67	1.950	57	1.884	57	1.854	55	1.860	73	1.976	81=	2.006	89	2.113	88	2.060
Moldova	68	1.951	64	1.939	62	1.938	65	1.953	70	1.942	71	1.971	74=	1.984	66=	1.927	59	1.892	66	1.938
Oman	69	1.953	73	1.984	70	1.983	74	2.016	74=	1.947	59=	1.889	45	1.806	59	1.887	41	1.743	23	1.561
Equatorial Guinea	70	1.957	65	1.946	61	1.930	62	1.940	81	1.987	93	2.079	89	2.072	87	2.039	75	2.041	68=	1.948
Ecuador	71	1.980	75	1.987	66	1.948	76	2.020	84=	1.997	85	2.042	83	2.059	85=	2.028	90	2.116	101	2.185
Benin	72=	1.986	69	1.973	79	2.014	72=	1.998	77	1.958	100	2.129	104	2.156	114	2.231	—		—
Sri Lanka	72=	1.986	67	1.954	80	2.019	97	2.133	114	2.188	105	2.197	110	2.230	103	2.145	126	2.407	133	2.621
Eswatini	72=	1.986	72	1.980	77	2.010	90	2.074	101	2.102	87=	2.056	88	2.069	85=	2.028	69=	1.995	73	1.966
Argentina	75	1.989	66	1.947	55	1.880	67	1.957	60	1.865	43	1.789	60	1.907	44	1.763	55	1.852	71	1.962
Nepal	76	2.003	84=	2.053	93	2.080	78	2.026	62	1.882	76	1.989	82	2.058	80	2.001	95	2.152	82	2.044
Angola	77=	2.012	83	2.048	100	2.116	98	2.140	88	2.020	102	2.143	102	2.148	95=	2.105	87	2.109	86	2.057
Jordan	77=	2.012	98=	2.104	95	2.087	96	2.127	71=	1.944	56	1.861	52	1.858	62	1.905	64	1.918	68=	1.948
Rwanda	79	2.014	103	2.140	113	2.227	128	2.323	139	2.420	137	2.494	135	2.444	119	2.250	99	2.185	75	2.012
Peru	80	2.016	74	1.986	71	1.986	85=	2.057	92=	2.029	119	2.304	113=	2.258	79	1.995	85	2.077	89	2.067
Bosnia and Herzegovina	81	2.019	89	2.065	84=	2.035	60	1.915	53	1.839	61=	1.902	71	1.967	65	1.923	60	1.893	60	1.873
Tunisia	82	2.035	78	1.998	69	1.977	64	1.949	76	1.952	79	2.001	77	2.005	72	1.955	44	1.765	37	1.678
Jamaica	83	2.038	90	2.068	92	2.072	92=	2.091	109	2.153	107	2.203	117	2.274	113	2.222	106	2.244	98	2.138
Dominican Republic	84	2.041	91	2.073	99	2.114	99=	2.143	100	2.089	95=	2.093	94	2.103	90	2.068	91	2.125	93	2.103
Bolivia	85	2.044	94	2.092	86	2.045	81	2.038	90	2.025	70	1.969	86	2.062	84	2.021	76	2.045	81	2.037
Kosovo	86	2.049	92	2.078	76	2.007	77	2.022	69	1.938	64	1.929	72	1.969	—		—		—
Haiti	87	2.052	88	2.064	83	2.026	89	2.066	98	2.074	99	2.127	92	2.075	107	2.179	113	2.288	114	2.270
Paraguay	88	2.055	77	1.997	68	1.961	80	2.037	89	2.023	73	1.976	84	2.060	76	1.973	66	1.954	77=	2.019
Cambodia	89	2.066	96=	2.101	89	2.065	104	2.161	111=	2.179	106	2.201	115	2.263	108	2.207	115	2.301	111	2.252
Morocco	90	2.070	71	1.979	75	2.004	91	2.086	86	2.002	63	1.915	57	1.897	54	1.867	58	1.887	58	1.861
Cuba	91	2.073	81	2.037	88	2.056	85=	2.057	82	1.988	75	1.986	65	1.922	70	1.951	67	1.964	72	1.964
Guyana	92	2.075	82	2.043	81	2.021	95	2.105	92=	2.029	83	2.003	70	1.962	69	1.937	88	2.112	91	2.095
Trinidad and Tobago	93	2.094	84=	2.053	97=	2.095	84	2.056	97	2.070	89	2.065	90=	2.074	94	2.082	79	2.051	94	2.107
Mozambique	94	2.099	86	2.056	78	2.013	68	1.963	80	1.976	82	2.004	61	1.910	48	1.796	48	1.809	47	1.779
Kyrgyz Republic	95	2.105	108	2.181	111	2.216	124	2.297	121	2.249	125	2.382	131	2.391	131	2.359	114	2.296	—
Gabon	96	2.112	95	2.099	87	2.052	79	2.033	66	1.904	68	1.945	76	1.995	75	1.972	81	2.059	74	1.981
Belarus	97	2.115	101	2.112	103	2.141	106=	2.202	110	2.173	92	2.078	96	2.117	109	2.208	112	2.283	105	2.204
Papua New Guinea	98	2.118	100	2.109	97=	2.095	99=	2.143	96	2.064	90	2.066	99=	2.126	93	2.076	94	2.139	95=	2.113
Georgia	99	2.122	102	2.130	94	2.084	85=	2.057	79	1.973	111=	2.225	139	2.511	141	2.541	134	2.558	142	2.970
Guinea	100	2.125	96=	2.101	96	2.089	101=	2.148	117	2.214	118	2.296	116	2.272	92	2.073	92	2.126	—
Bangladesh	101	2.128	93	2.084	84=	2.035	83	2.045	84=	1.997	98	2.106	105	2.159	91	2.071	83	2.070	87	2.058
Uzbekistan	102	2.166	104=	2.144	101	2.132	109	2.216	113	2.187	104	2.179	124	2.333	110	2.219	109=	2.260	110	2.242
Lesotho	103	2.167	104=	2.144	90	2.066	63	1.941	63	1.891	50	1.839	49=	1.840	53	1.864	—		—
Burkina Faso	104	2.176	80	2.029	91	2.070	88	2.063	83	1.994	78	1.998	87	2.064	56=	1.881	51	1.832	57	1.852
Tajikistan	105=	2.196	114	2.266	118	2.263	122	2.293	108	2.152	126=	2.395	118	2.282	99=	2.124	103	2.225	—
Uganda	105=	2.196	107	2.168	105	2.182	101=	2.148	111=	2.179	110	2.221	106	2.180	98	2.121	96=	2.159	100	2.165
Cote d'Ivoire	107	2.203	110	2.207	121	2.307	118	2.279	105	2.133	140	2.520	151	2.732	134	2.419	128	2.417	118	2.297
Togo	108	2.205	98=	2.104	63	1.939	66	1.954	71=	1.944	80=	2.003	67	1.954	—		—		—
Djibouti	109	2.207	115	2.269	107	2.196	121	2.292	102	2.113	74	1.979	63	1.917	56=	1.881	—		—
China	110	2.217	112	2.243	116	2.242	120	2.288	124	2.267	108	2.207	101	2.142	89	2.061	80	2.054	80	2.034
Algeria	111	2.219	109	2.182	109	2.201	108	2.213	104	2.131	114	2.239	119	2.284	121	2.255	129	2.423	116	2.277
Guinea-Bissau	112	2.237	116=	2.275	122	2.309	116	2.264	120	2.235	145	2.591	132	2.431	95=	2.105	—		—
El Salvador	113	2.262	116=	2.275	115	2.239	111=	2.237	123	2.263	116	2.280	112	2.240	111=	2.220	102	2.215	103	2.195
Guatemala	114	2.264	111	2.214	117	2.245	117	2.270	118	2.215	115	2.248	109	2.221	124	2.287	125	2.405	112	2.258
Turkmenistan	115	2.265	119	2.283	119	2.270	106=	2.202	106	2.138	95=	2.093	103	2.154	117	2.242	108	2.248	117	2.295
Brazil	116	2.271	106	2.160	108	2.199	105	2.176	103	2.122	91	2.073	81	2.051	83	2.017	74	2.040	83=	2.048
Thailand	117	2.278	113	2.259	120	2.286	125	2.312	126	2.303	126=	2.395	130	2.378	126	2.303	107	2.247	124	2.393
Armenia	118	2.294	120	2.287	112	2.220	110	2.218	91	2.028	97	2.097	98	2.123	115	2.238	109=	2.260	113	2.266
Kenya	119	2.300	123	2.315	125	2.336	131	2.379	133	2.342	132	2.452	136	2.466	120	2.252	111	2.276	120	2.369
Nicaragua	120	2.312	68	1.960	74	2.002	69	1.975	74=	1.947	58	1.882	66	1.931	81=	2.006	72	2.021	64	1.924
Republic of the Congo	121	2.323	126	2.343	124	2.334	114	2.249	115	2.196	109	2.211	107	2.183	104	2.148	98	2.165	102	2.192
Mauritania	122	2.333	127	2.355	128	2.355	123	2.295	122	2.262	120	2.350	122	2.326	125	2.301	130	2.425	123	2.389
Honduras	123	2.341	118	2.282	106	2.185	111=	2.237	116	2.210	117	2.281	123	2.332	129	2.339	117	2.327	125	2.395
Bahrain	124	2.357	130	2.437	131	2.404	132	2.398	107	2.142	111=	2.225	95	2.109	118	2.247	123	2.398	70	1.956
Myanmar	125	2.393	122	2.302	104	2.179	115	2.256	130=	2.323	136	2.473	140	2.528	139	2.525	133	2.538	132	2.580
Niger	126	2.394	128	2.359	126	2.343	113	2.239	129	2.320	121	2.351	127	2.362	116	2.241	119=	2.356	—
South Africa	127	2.399	125	2.328	123	2.324	126	2.316	136	2.376	122	2.364	121	2.292	127	2.321	118	2.35	121	2.380
United States	128	2.401	121	2.300	114	2.232	103	2.154	94	2.038	101	2.137	99=	2.126	88	2.058	82	2.063	85	2.056
Saudi Arabia	129	2.409	129	2.417	133	2.474	129	2.338	95	2.042	80=	2.003	97	2.119	106	2.178	101	2.192	107=	2.216
Azerbaijan	130	2.425	132	2.454	132	2.426	134	2.450	132	2.325	123	2.365	126	2.350	132	2.360	122	2.379	119	2.367
Ethiopia	131	2.434	139	2.524	134	2.477	119	2.284	119	2.234	139	2.502	146	2.630	137	2.504	131	2.468	127	2.444
Zimbabwe	132	2.463	124	2.326	127	2.352	127	2.322	125	2.294	148	2.662	149	2.696	140	2.538	140	2.722	135	2.678
Eritrea	133	2.504	138	2.522	136	2.505	135	2.460	127	2.309	124	2.377	120	2.288	122	2.264	104	2.227	—
Philippines	134	2.516	137	2.512	138	2.555	139	2.511	141	2.462	134	2.456	129	2.374	133	2.415	136	2.574	130	2.574
Burundi	135	2.520	134	2.488	141	2.641	138	2.500	130=	2.323	130	2.418	144	2.593	138	2.524	132	2.532	131	2.577
Egypt	136	2.521	142	2.632	139	2.583	142	2.574	137	2.382	143=	2.571	113=	2.258	111=	2.220	73	2.023	49	1.784
Chad	137	2.522	135	2.498	135	2.495	136	2.464	140	2.429	142	2.558	138	2.493	145	2.671	141	2.740	141	2.964
Cameroon	138	2.538	133	2.484	130	2.390	130	2.356	134	2.349	113	2.235	108	2.191	97	2.113	86	2.104	106	2.210
Iran	139	2.542	131	2.439	129	2.364	133	2.411	138	2.409	131	2.437	137	2.473	128	2.324	119=	2.356	104	2.202
Mexico	140	2.600	140	2.583	142	2.646	140	2.557	144	2.530	138	2.500	133	2.434	135	2.445	121	2.362	107=	2.216
India	141	2.605	136	2.504	137	2.541	141	2.566	143	2.504	143=	2.571	141	2.570	142	2.549	135	2.570	128	2.516
Palestine	142	2.608	141	2.621	145	2.774	148	2.832	—		—		—		—		—		—
Colombia	143	2.661	145	2.729	146=	2.777	147	2.764	146	2.720	150	2.701	147	2.634	144	2.625	139	2.700	138	2.787
Venezuela	144	2.671	143	2.642	143	2.652	143	2.651	142	2.493	129	2.410	128	2.370	123	2.278	124	2.403	122	2.387
Mali	145	2.710	144	2.686	140	2.596	137	2.489	128	2.310	135	2.465	125	2.346	102	2.132	100	2.188	109	2.240
Israel	146	2.735	146	2.764	144	2.707	144	2.656	148	2.781	149	2.689	150	2.730	150	2.842	145	2.901	144	3.019
Lebanon	147	2.800	147	2.778	148	2.782	146	2.752	145	2.623	146	2.620	142	2.575	136	2.459	137	2.597	134	2.639
Nigeria	148	2.898	148	2.873	149	2.849	149	2.877	151	2.910	151	2.710	148	2.693	146	2.801	142	2.743	137	2.756
North Korea	149	2.921	150	2.950	150	2.967	150	2.944	153	2.977	153	3.071	154	3.044	152	2.932	149	3.092	139	3.855
Ukraine	150	2.950	152	3.113	154	3.184	156	3.287	150	2.845	141	2.546	111	2.238	71	1.953	69=	1.995	97	2.115
Sudan	151	2.995	153	3.155	155=	3.213	155	3.269	156	3.295	157	3.362	158	3.242	156	3.193	151	3.223	146	3.125
Turkey	152	3.015	149	2.898	146=	2.777	145	2.710	135	2.363	128	2.402	134	2.437	130	2.344	127	2.411	126	2.420
Pakistan	153	3.072	151	3.079	152	3.058	153	3.145	154	3.049	154	3.107	157	3.106	149	2.833	146	2.905	145	3.050
Russia	154	3.093	154	3.160	151	3.047	151	3.079	152	2.954	152	3.039	155	3.060	153	2.938	147	2.966	143	3.013
Democratic Republic of the Congo	155	3.218	156	3.251	153	3.061	152	3.112	155	3.085	155	3.213	156	3.085	154	3.073	148	3.016	140	2.925
Libya	156	3.285	157	3.262	157	3.328	154	3.200	149	2.819	133	2.453	145	2.604	147=	2.830	143	2.816	56	1.839
Central African Republic	157	3.296	155	3.236	155=	3.213	157	3.354	158	3.332	156	3.331	153	3.031	151	2.872	144	2.869	136	2.753
Somalia	158	3.300	159	3.367	158	3.387	159	3.414	157	3.307	158	3.368	161	3.394	158	3.392	153	3.379	148	3.390
Iraq	159	3.369	160	3.425	161	3.556	161	3.570	161	3.444	159	3.377	159	3.245	155	3.192	152	3.296	149	3.406
Yemen	160	3.412	158	3.305	159	3.412	158	3.399	147	2.751	147	2.629	152	2.747	143	2.601	138	2.670	129	2.573
South Sudan	161	3.526	161	3.508	160	3.524	162	3.593	159	3.383	160	3.397	143	2.576	—		—		—
Syria	162	3.566	163	3.600	163	3.814	163	3.806	162	3.645	162	3.650	160	3.393	147=	2.830	116	2.322	115	2.274
Afghanistan	163	3.574	162	3.585	162	3.567	160	3.538	160	3.427	161	3.416	162	3.440	157	3.252	150	3.212	147	3.252

2007–2009

Country	2009		2008		2007
	Rank	Score	Rank	Score	Rank	Score
Hong Kong	—		23	1.608	23	1.657
New Zealand	1	1.202	4	1.350	2	1.363
Denmark	2=	1.217	2	1.333	3	1.377
Norway	2=	1.217	3	1.343	1	1.357
Iceland	4	1.225	1	1.176	—
Austria	5	1.252	10	1.449	10	1.483
Sweden	6	1.269	13	1.468	7	1.478
Japan	7	1.272	5	1.358	5	1.413
Canada	8	1.311	11	1.451	8=	1.481
Finland	9=	1.322	8	1.432	6	1.447
Slovenia	9=	1.322	16	1.491	15	1.539
Czech Republic	11	1.328	17	1.501	13	1.524
Ireland	12	1.333	6	1.410	4	1.396
Luxembourg	13	1.341	9	1.446	—
Portugal	14	1.348	7	1.412	8=	1.481
Belgium	15	1.359	15	1.485	11	1.498
Germany	16=	1.392	14	1.475	12	1.523
Qatar	16=	1.392	33	1.694	30=	1.702
Switzerland	18	1.393	12	1.465	14	1.526
Australia	19	1.476	27	1.652	25	1.664
Chile	20	1.481	18=	1.576	16	1.568
Oman	21	1.520	25	1.612	22	1.641
Netherlands	22	1.531	22	1.607	20	1.620
Singapore	23	1.533	29	1.673	29	1.692
Slovakia	24	1.539	18=	1.576	17	1.571
Uruguay	25	1.557	21	1.606	24	1.661
Malaysia	26	1.561	38	1.721	37	1.744
Hungary	27	1.575	18=	1.576	18	1.575
Spain	28	1.577	30	1.683	21	1.633
Costa Rica	29	1.578	34	1.701	30=	1.702
France	30	1.579	36	1.707	34=	1.729
Romania	31	1.591	24	1.611	26	1.682
Poland	32	1.599	31	1.687	27	1.683
South Korea	33	1.627	32	1.691	32	1.719
Botswana	34	1.643	46	1.792	42	1.786
United Kingdom	35	1.647	49	1.801	49	1.898
Italy	36	1.648	28	1.653	33	1.724
Taiwan	37	1.652	44	1.779	36	1.731
Estonia	38	1.661	35	1.702	28	1.684
Vietnam	39	1.664	37	1.720	34=	1.729
Bhutan	40=	1.667	26	1.616	19	1.611
United Arab Emirates	40=	1.667	42	1.745	38	1.747
Kuwait	42	1.680	45	1.786	46	1.818
Lithuania	43	1.687	39=	1.723	43	1.788
Tunisia	44	1.698	47=	1.797	39	1.762
Laos	45	1.701	51	1.810	—
Libya	46	1.710	61	1.927	58	1.967
Malawi	47	1.711	73	2.024	68	2.038
Cyprus	48	1.737	52	1.847	51	1.915
Croatia	49	1.741	60	1.926	67	2.030
Bosnia and Herzegovina	50	1.755	66	1.974	75	2.089
Gabon	51	1.758	55	1.878	56	1.952
Ghana	52	1.761	39=	1.723	40	1.765
Mozambique	53	1.765	50	1.803	50	1.909
Egypt	54=	1.773	69	1.987	73	2.068
Latvia	54=	1.773	39=	1.723	47	1.848
Bulgaria	56	1.775	57	1.903	54	1.936
Greece	57	1.778	54	1.867	44	1.791
Zambia	58	1.779	53	1.856	53	1.930
Panama	59=	1.798	47=	1.797	45	1.798
Tanzania	59=	1.798	58=	1.919	57	1.966
Equatorial Guinea	61=	1.801	64	1.964	71=	2.059
Nicaragua	61=	1.801	58=	1.919	66	2.020
Morocco	63	1.811	62=	1.954	48	1.893
Jordan	64	1.832	65	1.969	63	1.997
Namibia	65	1.841	77	2.042	64	2.003
Argentina	66	1.851	56	1.895	52	1.923
Indonesia	67	1.853	68	1.983	78	2.111
Cuba	68	1.856	62=	1.954	59	1.968
Bahrain	69	1.881	74	2.025	61=	1.995
Dominican Republic	70	1.890	82	2.069	74	2.071
Burkina Faso	71	1.905	81	2.062	—
Madagascar	72	1.912	43	1.770	41	1.766
Paraguay	73	1.916	70	1.997	55	1.946
China	74	1.921	67	1.981	60	1.980
Moldova	75=	1.925	83	2.091	71=	2.059
Albania	75=	1.925	79	2.044	—
Nepal	77	1.939	—		—
Serbia	78	1.951	85	2.110	84	2.181
Peru	79	1.972	80	2.046	70	2.056
Senegal	80	1.984	71	2.011	65	2.017
Bolivia	81	1.990	78	2.043	69	2.052
Ukraine	82	2.010	84	2.096	80	2.150
United States	83	2.015	97	2.227	96	2.317
Kazakhstan	84	2.018	72	2.018	61=	1.995
Brazil	85	2.022	90	2.168	83	2.173
Rwanda	86	2.027	76	2.030	—
Trinidad and Tobago	87	2.035	98	2.230	94	2.286
North Macedonia	88	2.039	87	2.119	82	2.170
Mongolia	89	2.040	88	2.155	—
Bangladesh	90	2.045	86	2.118	86=	2.219
Montenegro	91	2.046	—		—
Syria	92	2.049	75	2.027	77	2.106
Papua New Guinea	93	2.059	95	2.224	88	2.223
El Salvador	94	2.068	89	2.163	89	2.244
Cameroon	95	2.073	92	2.182	76	2.093
Mali	96	2.086	99	2.238	—
Guyana	97	2.098	—		—
Belarus	98	2.103	94	2.194	—
Iran	99	2.104	105	2.341	97	2.320
Angola	100	2.105	110	2.364	112	2.587
Turkmenistan	101	2.110	102	2.302	—
Jamaica	102	2.111	96	2.226	81	2.164
Uganda	103	2.140	114	2.391	104	2.489
Saudi Arabia	104	2.167	108	2.357	90	2.246
Cambodia	105	2.179	91	2.179	85	2.197
Republic of the Congo	106=	2.202	117	2.417	—
Uzbekistan	106=	2.202	111	2.377	110	2.542
Mexico	108	2.209	93	2.191	79	2.125
Ecuador	109	2.211	100	2.274	86=	2.219
Algeria	110	2.212	112	2.378	107	2.503
Guatemala	111	2.218	103	2.328	93	2.285
Honduras	112	2.265	104	2.335	98	2.390
Kenya	113	2.266	119	2.429	91	2.258
Azerbaijan	114=	2.327	101	2.287	101	2.448
Philippines	114=	2.327	113	2.385	100	2.428
Haiti	116	2.330	109	2.362	—
Cote d'Ivoire	117	2.342	122	2.451	113	2.638
Thailand	118	2.353	118	2.424	105	2.491
Yemen	119	2.363	106	2.352	95	2.309
Venezuela	120	2.381	123	2.505	102	2.453
Turkey	121	2.389	115	2.403	92	2.272
India	122	2.422	107	2.355	109	2.530
South Africa	123	2.437	116	2.412	99	2.399
Mauritania	124	2.478	120	2.435	—
Sri Lanka	125	2.485	125	2.584	111	2.575
Myanmar	126	2.501	126	2.590	108	2.524
Burundi	127	2.529	—		—
Ethiopia	128	2.551	121	2.439	103	2.479
Nigeria	129	2.602	129	2.724	117	2.898
Colombia	130	2.645	130	2.757	116	2.770
North Korea	131	2.717	133	2.850	—
Lebanon	132	2.718	132	2.840	114	2.662
Central African Republic	133	2.733	134	2.857	—
Georgia	134=	2.736	—		—
Zimbabwe	134=	2.736	124	2.513	106	2.495
Russia	136	2.750	131	2.777	118	2.903
Pakistan	137	2.859	127	2.694	115	2.697
Chad	138	2.880	135	3.007	—
Democratic Republic of the Congo	139	2.888	128	2.707	—
Sudan	140	2.922	138	3.189	120	3.182
Israel	141	3.035	136	3.052	119	3.033
Somalia	142	3.257	139	3.293	—
Afghanistan	143	3.285	137	3.126	—
Iraq	144	3.341	140	3.514	121	3.437

Note: The GPI's methodology is updated regularly and is improved to reflect the most up-to-date datasets. Each year's GPI report includes a detailed description of the methodology used. Also, the data is revised periodically and so values from previous years may change accordingly.
These tables contain the scores and ranking published in the official annual reports, for the latest revised data please visit the Interactive world map of the Global Peace Index.

International response

The Index has received endorsements as a political project from a number of major international figures, including the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan; former President of Finland and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari; the Dalai Lama; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Muhammad Yunus; and former United States President Jimmy Carter. Steve Killelea, A.M., the Australian philanthropist who conceived the idea of the Index, argues that the Index is "a wake-up call for leaders around the globe".

The Index has been widely recognized. Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, said: "The GPI continues its pioneering work in drawing the world's attention to the massive resources we are squandering in violence and conflict. The lives and money wasted in wars, incarcerations, weapons systems, weapons trade, and more could be directed to ending poverty, promoting education, and protecting the environment. The GPI will not only draw attention to these crucial issues but help us understand them and to invest productively in a more peaceful world."

Following the release of the 2015 GPI, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman of King's College in London called the Index "an extraordinarily useful body of information", declaring of its analysis: "The best indicator of future conflict is past conflict. The challenge is how we break that cycle."

The Economist, in publishing the first edition of the index in 2007, admitted: "The index will run into some flak." Specifically, according to The Economist, the weighting of military expenditure "may seem to give heart to freeloaders: countries that enjoy peace precisely because others (often the USA) care for their defence," and said the true utility of the index may lie not in its specific current rankings of countries but in how those rankings change over time, thus tracking when and how countries become more or less peaceful. In 2012, The Economist suggested: "Quantifying peace is a bit like trying to describe how happiness smells." The publication admitted that the GPI has produced some "surprising results" and argued that "part of the appeal of the index is that readers can examine each of the variables in turn and think about how much weight to add to each."

The Australian National University says that the GPI report presents "the latest and most comprehensive global data on trends in peace, violence and war" and "provides the world's best analysis of the statistical factors associated with long-term peace, as well as economic analysis on the macroeconomic impacts of everyday violence and war on the global economy."

The GPI has been criticized for not including indicators specifically relating to violence against women and children. In 2007 Riane Eisler, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, argued: "To put it mildly, this blind spot makes the index very inaccurate." She mentions a number of specific cases, including Egypt, where she claims 90% of women are subject to genital mutilation, and China, where, she says, "female infanticide is still a problem", according to a 2000 UNICEF study.

World leaders talking about the GPI

During a Peace Forum in August 2017, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said that "receiving such high praise from an institute that once named this country the most violent in the world is extremely significant... My administration will keep fighting to protect all Honduran citizens." The President has recently launched an initiative to build a series of safe parks across Honduras and hopes to see further improvement reflected in future GPI rankings.

Malaysia ranked 29th in the 2017 GPI. The country's Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said that this ranking along with Malaysia's high place in the 2017 World Happiness Report was proof that the "government's efforts have made Malaysia a safe and prosperous country." He also admitted, "there's still much room for improvement to make Malaysia the best among the better countries and that's what we're doing now."

After the release of the 2016 GPI, the Botswanan Office of the President released a proud statement, "in this year's Index, Botswana was ranked as 28 out of 163 countries, up 3 places from last year. This continues to place Botswana above over half of the European region countries surveyed as well as all five of the Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council... in addition Botswana was one of only five countries, to achieve a perfect score in the domestic and international conflict domain."

Navid Hanif, director of the United Nations Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination said, "it's intuitive that peace is useful and peacefulness is a reward in itself, but the IEP is trying to make the conclusion more evidence-based. Now that the index covers 99% of the population, it has come a long way. The report systemically measures peacefulness and identifies the determinants of peace."

Reacting to the 2017 results of the GPI, which ranked the Philippines 138 out of 163 countries, mainly because of poor scores in societal safety and security due to President Duterte's war on drugs, Philippine Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella countered, "We're not entirely sure where the GPI, Global Peace Index analyst... who apparently is supposed to be a local, is really coming from. Maybe there's a political slant somewhere... based on survey results, the net satisfaction of Filipino people is quite high."

Sierra Leone ranked 39th in the 2017 Global Peace Index. Former Chief of Staff and Office of National Security (ONS) adviser, Dr. Jonathan PJ Sandy, "welcomed the 2017 Global Peace Index report released recently which ranked Sierra Leone in first position, as the most peaceful country in West Africa and third in the African continent... He observed that going by the report itself, [future] elections might be successfully held." Presidential Spokesman, Abdulai Bayraytay "said the favourable Global Peace rating of Sierra Leone would serve as an impetus for the country to do more."

Media coverage

The Independent: Global Peace Index: US Facing New Era of Instability as Middle East Sinks Further into Turmoil: "An annual global peace index has concluded that US political turmoil had pushed North America into deep instability in 2016 while the Middle East sank deeper into turmoil. Despite depicting tumult across continents, the 2017 Global Peace Index said the world had overall become more peaceful in the past year when measured against a range of indicators."

BBC: Global Peace Index 2017: World 0.28% more peaceful than last year: "Levels of peace around the world have improved slightly for the first time since the Syrian war began, but harmony has decreased in the US and terrorism records have increased, a Sydney-based think-tank has found."

Forbes: "The Global Peace Index, which the Institute compiles annually, paints a sombre picture: The world has become even less peaceful in 2016, continuing a decade-long trend of increased violence and strife. Published every year since 2008, the Index ranks 163 independent states and territories by their level of peacefulness."

Forbes: The World's Most and Least Peaceful Countries [Infographic]: "The 2017 Global Peace Index has found that the world has become a slightly safer place over the past year. However, the political fallout and deep rooted division brought on by the US presidential election campaign has led to a deterioration of peace levels in North America."

The Guardian: Fraught White House Campaign Blamed as US Bucks Global Trend Towards Peace: "The divisive nature of Donald Trump's rise to the White House has increased mistrust of the US government and means social problems are likely to become more entrenched, said the authors of the annual Global Peace Index, in which 163 countries and territories are analysed."

HuffingtonPost: Global Peace Index 2017: Donald Trump Fallout Causes North America To Plummet Down Ranking: "While the world became a safer place to live overall, the 2017 Global Peace Index found disruption caused by the perception of corruption and attacks on media in the US led to its deterioration."

The Washington Times: U.S. Ranked the 114th Most Peaceful Nation on Earth says Annual Global Ranking: "The index is produced by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, which figures that the impact of strife worldwide is $14.3 trillion. News is not all bad, though. In a nutshell, the index found that 93 nations became 'more peaceful' in the last year, 68 were 'less peaceful.'"

Business Insider: The 12 Safest Countries in the World: "The think tank Institute for Economics and Peace recently published the Global Peace Index 2017, which reveals the safest — as well as the most dangerous — countries in the world. The report ranked 163 countries based on how peaceful they are. The rankings were determined by 23 factors, which included homicide rate, political terror, and deaths from internal conflict."

Indian news websites, ZeeNews, HindustanTimes, and Jagran Josh: The three Indian news agencies described the GPI's ranking system, global peace trends, highlights from that year's GPI and India's own placement in the GPI. The Hindustan Times quoted the GPI and emphasized that "violence impacted India's economy by USD 679.80 billion in 2016, 9 % of India's GDP, or USD 525 per person"

Philstar, Filipino newspaper: "Among all the 163 countries, the Philippines is ranked 138. For perspective, India is ranked just one notch above, at 137. Despite this low ranking, however, it has remained relatively stable in this low rank over time a long time. Though the raw score has worsened over the previous year, the country's rank has not been far off from this rank in previous years...Though the point of view of the report deserves respect concerning societal safety, another side of the story needs more hearing internationally."

World Economic Forum: These are the Most Peaceful Countries in the World: "The Global Peace Index ranks 163 countries according to their domestic and international conflicts, safety and security and degree of militarization. It found 93 had improved, while 68 had deteriorated, and overall peace levels had inched up 0.28%."

Academic references

The International Journal of Press/Politics: "Social Media and the Arab Spring: Politics comes first": This article utilized the findings of the 2010 GPI to construct a human rights index, which was used in their overall study on the use of social media in political uprisings, and in the Arab Spring context in particular.

Contemporary Security Policy: "Failed states and international order: constructing a post-Westphalian world": The Global Peace Index, along with four other global indices, is used in this study's ranking of 'state failure'. "Although this index focuses primarily on trends of armed conflict and violence it is relevant to state weakness and failure as the indicators measured for the assessment of 'peace' in this context are also indicative of state capacity."

Biological Reviews: "Does Infectious Disease cause Global Variation in the Frequency of Intrastate Armed Conflict and Civil War?": This study used the 2008 Global Peace Index to build what they call a 'path analysis,' in which they sought to uncover "whether infectious disease causes the emergence of a collectivist culture."

Political Research Quarterly: "Measuring the Rule of Law": This article attempts to measure the rule of law, and in doing so "correlated the rule of law indices with a measure of violent crime (for 2007) included in the Global Peace Index."

Applied Energy: "The Analysis of Security Cost for Different Energy Sources": This study utilized the Global Peace Index in calculating a disruption probability from geopolitical instability, with the overall aim of analysing security costs for different sources of energy.

International Political Science Review: "Measuring Effective Democracy: A Defence": In the construction of an effective democracy index (EDI), the authors built a table that includes 2008 GPI scores as a dependent variable in a regression analysis of economic development and various indices of democracy.

Institute for Security Studies: "African Futures 2050- The Next Forty Years": The African human security research institution utilized the findings of the Global Peace Index of 2010 to emphasize trends in drug crime and violence on the African continent.

Nature Communications: "Global Priorities for an Effective Information Basis of Biodiversity Distributions": In their article about insufficient digital accessible information about ecosystems and biodiversity, the authors utilized the GPI to model the "effects of secure conditions" based on the index as a measure of political stability, armed conflict, and public safety levels.

Nordic Journal of Religion and Society: "Why are Danes and Swedes so Irreligious": This article uses the Global Peace Index, and its very high rankings of Denmark (3rd in 2008) and Sweden (13th in 2008) to support claims that the countries' lack of religiosity can be linked to prosperous societal structures.

Food Security: "Tracking phosphorus security: indicators of phosphorus vulnerability in the global food system": Along with eleven other indicators, the GPI was used as a measure of political instability for the development of a utilized in the development of a phosphorus vulnerability analysis, aimed at formulating food production methods and government policy.

World Politics: "The System Worked: Global Economic Governance During the Great Recession": Drezner uses GPI measurements, particularly the fact that interstate violence and military expenditures have decreased in the years studied, to bolster an argument suggesting that the Great Recession has not led to an increase in global violence and conflict.

Journal of Sustainable Development Studies: "Insecurity and Socio-economic Development in Nigeria": This sustainable development study utilized the GPI, in conjunction with the Human Development Index and the Corruption Perception Index to track fluctuations in Nigeria's socio-economic climate and insecurity issues over the past decade.

Harvard Educational Review: "Peace Education in a Violent Culture": In criticizing the United States' culture of violence, the author refers to the developed country's remarkably low ranking on the Global Peace Index as evidence of violence's effect on societal peacefulness.

International Security: "The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States": In this piece, the authors use the Global Peace Index as one of three measures of state security; the GPI is specifically used as a "general measure of state peacefulness". The report concludes that higher levels of women's physical security correlates positively with the GPI.

The Equal Rights Review: "The Mental Health Gap in South Africa: A Human Rights Issue": South Africa's poor GPI ranking, among other measures is cited by the authors as part of their overall argument that the national government is not implementing promises made towards the achievement of equality, as signatories of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Environment, Development and Sustainability: "Creating a 'Values' Chain for Sustainable Development in Developing Nations: Where Maslow meets Porter": This study uses the 'safety and security' measures of the GPI, including political instability, level of violent crime, and likelihood of violent demonstrations, for supporting an argument that renders societal safety and security necessary for sustainable development.

See also

• Global Militarisation Index
• Global Terrorism Index
• Human Development Index
• Institute for Economics and Peace
• Steve Killelea
• United Kingdom Peace Index
• United States Peace Index
• World Happiness Report
• World peace

External links

• Vision of Humanity – Global Peace Index Site
• Institute for Economics and Peace
• Interactive world map of the Global Peace Index
• Integrated Research Steve Killelea is the founder of technology company Integrated Research
• Uppsala Conflict Data Program, an organized violence database
• Global Peace Index 2013: The Full List
• List of safest countries by Global Peace Index