First Global Peace Index Ranks 121 Countries

The first study to rank countries according to their peacefulness and the drivers that sustain their peace began in May. The Global Peace Index <visionofhumanity.com> studied 121 countries. It revealed that countries that had a turbulent time in the twentieth century, such as Ireland and Germany, have emerged as peace leaders in the 21st century. The Economist measured 24 indicators, including ease of access to guns and small explosives, military expenditure, local corruption, and level of respect for human rights.The researchers found that peace correlates to indicators such as income, schooling, and the level of regional integration, high levels of transparency of government, and low corruption. Small, stable countries that are part of regional blocs are most likely to get a high ranking.The US ranked 96th. The best and worst 20 are as follows:

Rank	Country	Score
1	Norway	1.357
2	New Zealand	1.363
3	Denmark	1.377
4	Ireland	1.396
5	Japan	1.413
6	Finland	1.447
7	Sweden	1.478
8	Canada	1.481
9	Portugal	1.481
10	Austria	1.483
11	Belgium	1.498
12	Germany	1.523
13	Czech Repub.	1.524
14	Switzerland	1.526
15	Slovenia	1.539
16	Chile	1.568
17	Slovakia	1.571
18	Hungary	1.575
19	Bhutan	1.611
20	Netherlands	1.620
102	Venezuela	2.453
103	Ethiopia	2.479
104	Uganda	2.489
105	Thailand	2.491
106	Zimbabwe	2.495
107	Algeria	2.503
108	Myanmar	2.524
109	India	2.530
110	Uzbekistan	2.542
111	Sri Lanka	2.575
112	Angola	2.587
113	Cote d'Ivoire	2.638
114	Lebanon	2.662
115	Pakistan	2.697
116	Colombia	2.770
117	Nigeria	2.898
118	Russia	2.903
119	Israel	3.033
120	Sudan	3.182
121	Iraq	3.437