Global Peace Index 2023

Global Peace Index 2023: The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an annual ranking of countries based on their levels of safety and security. It measures factors such as the extent of domestic and international conflict, the degree of militarization, and the level of terrorism. The GPI is used by governments, organizations, and individuals to understand the state of peace in the world and to develop strategies for promoting peace.

What is the Global Peace Index?

The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an annual assessment by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) that ranks nations based on their peacefulness levels. Utilizing various indicators like ongoing conflicts, societal safety, security, and militarization, it quantifies peace across countries. The index measures factors such as violence, crime rates, political stability, and military expenditure to create a comparative analysis. By assigning scores to countries, it offers insights into global peace trends, highlighting regions facing challenges and providing a comprehensive understanding of peace and its contributing factors worldwide.

• Global Peace Index (GPI) was Released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in May 2009. The GPI uses 23 qualitative and quantitative variables from reliable sources to cover 163 countries or 99.7% of the world’s population.
• The index measures peace across three domains:
  • Societal safety and security
  • Ongoing domestic and international conflict
  • Militarization.

Global Peace Index Indicators

The GPI measures peace using three broad themes and various indicators within these themes-

1. Level of Societal Safety and Security

• Homicide rate
• Level of violent crime
• Incarceration rate
• Access to weapons
• Number of internal conflicts fought
• Deaths from internal conflict

2. Extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict

• Level of organized conflict (internal)
• Level of organized conflict (external)
• Number of deaths from external conflict
• Number of displaced people as a percentage of the population
• Political instability

3. Degree of Militarization

• Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
• Number of armed services personnel
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000 people
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people
• Ease of access to small arms and light weapons

These indicators are combined to provide an overall score that determines a country’s rank on the Global Peace Index. Lower scores indicate a higher level of peacefulness, while higher scores indicate a lower level of peace within a country.

Highlights of Global Peace Index 2023

The Highlights of the Global Peace Index 2023 are as follows:

• Most inventive Economies in 2023: Sweden, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland are the next most inventive economies in 2023.With its ascent into the top five, Singapore’s economy now leads the economies of the South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (SEAO) region.
• Global Peace Decline: The average degree of Global peace has declined for the ninth year in a row. 79 countries had a fall, whereas 84 saw improvements. Political instability, regional conflicts, and civil unrest have all increased in the post-COVID age.
• Top Global Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters:Tokyo–Yokohama is projected to be the world’s leading Science and Technology innovation cluster in 2023, ahead of Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Seoul, Beijing, and Shanghai–Suzhou.The world’s S&T clusters are the places with the densest concentration of scientists and inventors.
• Increase in Conflict-Related Deaths: To reach 238,000, the number of deaths worldwide due to conflict increased by 96%. Remarkably, the number of deaths resulting from fighting in Ethiopia exceeded that in Ukraine, surpassing earlier highs recorded during the Syrian crisis. There have been reports of heightened conflict levels in a number of nations, including Israel, South Africa, and Myanmar.
• Economic Impact of Violence: By 2022, the total economic impact of violence worldwide will have increased by 17%, or $1 trillion, to $17.5 trillion. This amount is equivalent to about 13% of the world GDP. Interestingly, a fictitious Chinese blockade of Taiwan would roughly quadruple the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, resulting in an astounding $2.7 trillion decline in world economic production.
• Shifting Military Dynamics: In spite of the situation in Ukraine, 92 countries increased their military spending, while 110 countries decreased their armed forces. The number of countries involved in external conflicts has increased from 58 in 2008 to 91 now, indicating the growing internationalization of conflicts.

10 Most Peaceful Countries according to Global Peace Index 2023

According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland, New Zealand, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland are considered the 5 most peaceful countries in the world. These countries have low crime rates, strong social cohesion and well-established civil liberties. Iceland topped the list for the 9th consecutive year due in part to its strong commitment to gender equality and criminal justice reform.

Rank	Country Name
1	Iceland
2	Denmark
3	Ireland
4	New Zealand
5	Austria
6	Singapore
7	Portugal
8	Slovenia
9	Japan
10	Switzerland

10 Least Peaceful Countries according to Global Peace Index 2023

The least peaceful country in the world in 2023 is Afghanistan, which has held this position for the eighth consecutive year. Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the other four least peaceful countries.

Rank	Country Name
163	Afghanistan
162	Yemen
161	Syria
160	South Sudan
159	Congo,DRC
158	Russia
157	Ukraine
156	Somalia
155	Sudan
154	Iraq

India’s Position in Global Peace Index 2023

The Position of India in the Global Peace Index and the comparison with neighboring

• India is placed 126th in the world by the Global Peace Index, which ranks 163 countries. India received a lower overall rating of 2.31 than the 2.314 global average. This presents an opportunity for development even though the country still struggles to achieve high levels of peace. India’s overall level of peace rose by 3.5% over the previous year as a result of decreased violent crime, improved neighbor relations, and political turmoil.
• As geopolitical tensions with China declined due to fewer border incidents and an overall decline in civil disturbance, the political instability indicator in India improved.
• However, it falls well behind its neighbors, like Bangladesh (88), Bhutan (17), the Maldives (23), Nepal (79), China (80), and Sri Lanka (107).
• India is surpassed by Pakistan and Myanmar, who are ranked 146th and 139th, respectively.
• The world’s average degree of peace declined by 0.42 percent.Since 2008, Iceland has maintained its position as the world’s most tranquil nation. Austria, New Zealand, Denmark, and Ireland are with it at the top.
• On the other hand, Afghanistan has maintained its position as the world’s least peaceful nation for eight years running. South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo come next.
• India is now ranked 126th in the world, two places higher than it was before.
• The report claimed that improvements in violent crime, relations with neighboring countries, and political instability had resulted in a 3.5% improvement in overall peace in India over the previous year.

Read More: India’s Ranking in Different Index 2023

Conclusion – Global Peace Index 2023

So according to the Global Peace Index 2023, the least peaceful nations are Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while the most peaceful nations are Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria. The world has become less peaceful over the past 15 years, the global level of peace has deteriorated by 5%, and the gap between the most and least peaceful countries has grown, according to the main findings of the 2023 GPI.

Practice Question for UPSC – Global Peace Index 2023

Q. Consider the following statements with reference to Global Peace Index

1. The International Peace Institute publishes the Global Peace Index (GPI).

2. Ongoing internal and international conflict is used to gauge a nation’s degree of negative peace.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only
• (b) 2 only
• (c) Both 1 and 2
• (d) None of the above.

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only

FAQs on Global Peace Index 2023

1. What is the Global Peace Index (GPI)?

The GPI is an annual report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) that ranks countries based on their levels of peace and stability. It assesses factors such as ongoing conflicts, societal safety, security, and militarization to create a comparative analysis of peace among nations.

2. How is the Global Peace Index calculated?

The GPI uses various qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure peace. It considers factors such as levels of violence, crime rates, political instability, military expenditure, and societal safety to assign scores to different countries.

3. Which countries are ranked as the most peaceful in the Global Peace Index?

The GPI ranks countries from most peaceful to least peaceful based on the index scores. Nordic countries like Iceland, Denmark, and Norway have historically ranked high in peace indexes, along with countries such as New Zealand, Portugal, and Austria.

4. What are the main factors influencing a country’s peace ranking in the Global Peace Index?

Factors that typically impact a country’s peace ranking include the absence of conflict, low crime rates, political stability, effective governance, respect for human rights, minimal militarization, and good relations with neighboring countries.

5. How does the Global Peace Index contribute to understanding global trends in peace and conflict?

The GPI provides valuable insights into global peace trends, highlighting changes over time, identifying regions facing challenges to peace, and offering recommendations for fostering peace and stability worldwide.