Small and Stable Democracies Again Dominate the Top Ten

The assertion is that low crime rates, minimal incidences of terrorist acts and violent demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighboring countries, a stable political scene and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or refugees can be equated with peacefulness.

Iceland is, for the second successive year, the country most at peace, followed by Denmark and New Zealand. Icelandic society is essentially harmonious, The proportion of citizens who are in jail is one of the lowest in the world, dropping to 47 per 100,000 in 2011.

The majority of the GPI’s gauges of safety and security suggest that New Zealand society is broadly harmonious; violent demonstrations are highly unlikely, while homicides and terrorist acts are very rare. The political scene remained stable, with the centre-right National Party returned to power and securing a record-high 59 seats in parliament, amid strong approval for the prime minister.

Australia dropped 3 places since last year to 22-nd which is mainly due to military capability, conflicts fought and the increase of refugee intake. Australia also notably lags on the Good Relations with Neighbors score, due to a poor score on the extent of regional integration and interpersonal safety and trust measure.

Western Europe remains markedly the most peaceful region, with the majority of the countries in this group ranking in the top 20 overall. Norway dropped out of the top ten for the first time, to 18th position, the result of the violent attack by Anders Breivik in July 2011, killing 77 and injuring more than 300.

Syria experienced the sharpest deterioration in peace, the report showed, with several other countries in the region falling down the list. Despite Syria’s incapacity to lead a peaceful government world became a more peaceful place last year. The entire report, with maps can be found at Vision of Humanity.