India has slipped by four points in an annual global index on peacefulness this year, finishing at 141 among 163 countries, while Iceland remained at the top position, according to a report by an international think tank.

The Global Peace Index (GPI) gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society, and the degree of militarisation in 163 countries and territories by taking into account 23 indicators.

Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) said in a statement.

It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years, it added.

"India's rank has moved down to 141 from in GPI 2019 (from its previous position at 136), among 163 countries, and it stands at fifth in the (South Asian) region," the statement said.

The IEP prepares the GPI report that presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on peace, its economic value, trends, and how to develop peaceful societies, it said.

The 13th edition of the annual report, the world's leading measure of global peacefulness, also shows that the "average level of global peacefulness improved for the first time in five years", the statement said.

"However, despite the improvement, the world remains considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago, with the average level of peacefulness deteriorating by nearly four per cent since 2008," the report claimed.

The 2019 report also includes new research on the possible effects of climate change on peace, the statement said.

"India together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest risk of multiple climate hazards. India has the seventh highest overall natural hazard score," according to the report.&nbsp;

The report also claimed that the gap between the least and most peaceful countries "continues to grow".

Eighty-six countries improved their score in the 2019 report, while 76 deteriorated.

Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries, it said.

This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries, the statement said.

The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world's population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. These indicators are grouped into three key domains - ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarisation, the IEP said.

The IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. It has offices in Sydney, Brussels, New York, The Hague, Mexico City and Harare, the statement said.&nbsp;

India has slipped by four points in an annual global index on peacefulness this year, finishing at 141 among 163 countries, while Iceland remained at the top position, according to a report by an international think tank.

India has slipped by four points in an annual global index on peacefulness this year, finishing at 141 among 163 countries, while Iceland remained at the top position, according to a report by an international think tank. The Global Peace Index (GPI) gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society, and the degree of militarisation in 163 countries and territories by taking into account 23 indicators. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) said in a statement. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years, it added. "India's rank has moved down to 141 from in GPI 2019 (from its previous position at 136), among 163 countries, and it stands at fifth in the (South Asian) region," the statement said. The IEP prepares the GPI report that presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on peace, its economic value, trends, and how to develop peaceful societies, it said. The 13th edition of the annual report, the world's leading measure of global peacefulness, also shows that the "average level of global peacefulness improved for the first time in five years", the statement said. "However, despite the improvement, the world remains considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago, with the average level of peacefulness deteriorating by nearly four per cent since 2008," the report claimed. The 2019 report also includes new research on the possible effects of climate change on peace, the statement said. "India together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest risk of multiple climate hazards. India has the seventh highest overall natural hazard score," according to the report. The report also claimed that the gap between the least and most peaceful countries "continues to grow". Eighty-six countries improved their score in the 2019 report, while 76 deteriorated. Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries, it said. This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries, the statement said. The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world's population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. These indicators are grouped into three key domains - ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarisation, the IEP said. The IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. It has offices in Sydney, Brussels, New York, The Hague, Mexico City and Harare, the statement said.

India slips to 141 in annual Global Peace Index; Iceland retains top spot

The world has become increasingly violent with deaths from conflicts at a 25-year high, terrorist attacks at an all-time high and more people being displaced than at any time since World War II, the 2016 Global Peace Index showed today. 
 
The annual index&nbsp;which measures 23 indicators, including incidents of violent crime, countries&#39; levels of militarisation and weapons imports, said intensifying conflicts in the Middle East were mostly to blame. 
 
But beyond the Middle East, the world was actually becoming more peaceful, researchers behind the index said. 
 
&quot;Quite often, in the mayhem which is happening in the Middle East currently, we lose sight of the other positive trends,&quot; said Steve Killelea, founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which produces the index. 
 
&quot;If we look in the last year, if we took out the Middle East ... the world would have become more peaceful,&quot; Killelea said. 
 
More than 100,000 were killed in conflict in 2014, up from nearly 20,000 in 2008. Syria, where nearly 67,000 people were killed in 2014, accounted for the bulk of the increase. 
 
The United Nations has said the number of displaced people is likely to have &quot;far surpassed&quot; a record of 60 million last year. 
 
The index showed that most attacks it classified&nbsp;as terrorist attacks were concentrated in five countries - Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
 
The economic cost of violence over the past decade was $137 trillion - greater than the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)&nbsp;in 2015-the IEP showed. 
 
The indicator,&nbsp;which improved the most in the last year, was funding for UN&nbsp;peacekeeping operations that&nbsp;reached record highs in 2016, IEP said. 
 
&quot;However, peacebuilding and peacekeeping spending remains proportionately small compared to the economic impact of violence, representing just 2 per cent of global losses from armed conflict,&quot; Killelea said. 
 
More than 120,000 UN&nbsp;peacekeepers are currently deployed in 16 operations worldwide. The largest are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan&#39;s Darfur region, South Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic and Lebanon. 
 
Another improvement in peace&nbsp;is a 10 per cent fall in global military spending in the last three years, IEP said. 
 
BUILDING LASTING PEACE 
 
Europe is the most peaceful region in the world, although the region&#39;s peace score has dropped in the wake of attacks in Paris and Brussels. Deaths from such attacks in Europe have more than doubled over the last five years. 
 
Last year, world leaders agreed to &quot;significantly reduce all forms of violence&quot; by 2030 and find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity, as part of a set of Sustainable Development Goals to fight inequality and extreme poverty. 
 
Building lasting peace takes more than just improving security, Killelea said. 
 
&quot;Quite often as an international community we lose sight of that and try and have a one shoe fits all (approach),&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;For me the most profound thing about the index is the ability to use it ... to better understand the qualities ... which create peaceful societies,&quot; Killelea said. 
 
Iceland is the world&#39;s most peaceful country listed in the index, followed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Portugal.&nbsp;The least peaceful country is Syria, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

More than 100,000 were killed in conflicts in 2014, up from nearly 20,000 in 2008. In Syria alone, nearly 67,000 people were killed in 2014

The world has become increasingly violent with deaths from conflicts at a 25-year high, terrorist attacks at an all-time high and more people being displaced than at any time since World War II, the 2016 Global Peace Index showed today. The annual index which measures 23 indicators, including incidents of violent crime, countries' levels of militarisation and weapons imports, said intensifying conflicts in the Middle East were mostly to blame. But beyond the Middle East, the world was actually becoming more peaceful, researchers behind the index said. "Quite often, in the mayhem which is happening in the Middle East currently, we lose sight of the other positive trends," said Steve Killelea, founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which produces the index. "If we look in the last year, if we took out the Middle East ... the world would have become more peaceful," Killelea said. More than 100,000 were killed in conflict in 2014, up from nearly 20,000 in 2008. Syria, where nearly 67,000 people were killed in 2014, accounted for the bulk of the increase. The United Nations has said the number of displaced people is likely to have "far surpassed" a record of 60 million last year. The index showed that most attacks it classified as terrorist attacks were concentrated in five countries - Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The economic cost of violence over the past decade was $137 trillion - greater than the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015-the IEP showed. The indicator, which improved the most in the last year, was funding for UN peacekeeping operations that reached record highs in 2016, IEP said. "However, peacebuilding and peacekeeping spending remains proportionately small compared to the economic impact of violence, representing just 2 per cent of global losses from armed conflict," Killelea said. More than 120,000 UN peacekeepers are currently deployed in 16 operations worldwide. The largest are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan's Darfur region, South Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic and Lebanon. Another improvement in peace is a 10 per cent fall in global military spending in the last three years, IEP said. BUILDING LASTING PEACE Europe is the most peaceful region in the world, although the region's peace score has dropped in the wake of attacks in Paris and Brussels. Deaths from such attacks in Europe have more than doubled over the last five years. Last year, world leaders agreed to "significantly reduce all forms of violence" by 2030 and find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity, as part of a set of Sustainable Development Goals to fight inequality and extreme poverty. Building lasting peace takes more than just improving security, Killelea said. "Quite often as an international community we lose sight of that and try and have a one shoe fits all (approach)," he said. "For me the most profound thing about the index is the ability to use it ... to better understand the qualities ... which create peaceful societies," Killelea said. Iceland is the world's most peaceful country listed in the index, followed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Portugal. The least peaceful country is Syria, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

Global violence worsens, driven by Middle East conflict: peace index

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