About Global Peace Index:
- It is released annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
- 2023 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranked 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness.
- It measures the state of peace across three domains:
- Societal safety and security;
- Ongoing domestic and international conflict;
- Militarization;
- Highlights of Global Peace Index 2023:
- The average level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.42 per cent.
- Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world – a title it has held since 2008. It is accompanied at the top by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria.
- Conversely, 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 has occupied the 126th spot in the rankings, two higher than its previous position.
- The report stated that 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.
- Among other countries, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, United States of America, and Pakistan, and have been ranked 79, 80, 107, 131, 146, respectively.