Top 10 most peaceful nations: 1 New Zealand, 2 Denmark, 3 Norway, 4 Iceland, 5 Austria, 6 Sweden, 7 Japan, 8 Canada, 9=Finland, 9=Slovenia.
Ten least peaceful: 1 Iraq, 2 Afghanistan, 3 Somalia, 4 Israel, 5 Sudan, 6 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 7 Chad, 8 Pakistan, 9 Russia, 10 Zimbabwe.
rld's most peaceful nationThe Telegraph: The Global Peace Index, a report prepared for the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit, ranks 144 countries in a league table of peacefulness. The index defines peace as 'the absence of violence.'
Twenty-three criteria on which the league table is compiled include political stability, risk of terrorism, murder rate, likelihood of violent demonstrations, respect for human rights, internal conflicts, arms imports and involvement in foreign wars...
Nordic countries Denmark and Norway took their accustomed positions near the top of the table. Britain, by comparison, was 35th. The United States came 83rd...
The report says the global economic recession and an increase in violent conflict and political instability around the planet took a toll on world peacefulness in 2008. Clyde McConaghy of the Institute for Economics and Peace said: 'Peace is a concrete aim that can be measured and valued, not just in social terms but in economic terms. There is a clear correlation between the economic crisis and the decline in peace.'...
Professor Kevin Clements, of Otago University in Dunedin, said: 'The index is a pretty good reflection of countries people want to live in... If you look at the top 20, they are all small nations based on strong welfare principles, all with good and relatively uncorrupt governance.'
