Is it Safe Yet?

(6/23/2007)

The Global Peace Index, recently published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, has ranked 121 countries in terms of their overall "peacefulness."

In dispensing its peacefulness ratings, The Economist Intelligence Unit evaluated 24 separate indices, including availability of weapons, military expenditures, local corruption, and the level of respect for human rights.

The researchers also sought out patterns of peacefulness discovering that countries that placed a premium on democracy, governmental transparency, education and material well-being were generally more tranquil places to live. The U.S. which ranked high in many of these areas lost out to other countries in the final tally, including Indonesia, because of its engagement in external conflicts and high level of military spending, as well as its high rates of incarceration and homicide.

The index, created by Australian IT entrepreneur and philanthropist Steve Killelea, is intended to provide a systematic exploration of the "texture of peace" while inspiring world leaders to work for a more peaceful world. Numbered among those who have lent enthusiastic support for the index and its findings are former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson and Harriet Fulbright of the Fulbright Center.

These influential leaders have lauded the index saying it broadens the definition of peace while at the same time providing a road map for world leaders seeking to achieve peace. In the words of Harriet Fulbright, "Peace isn't just the absence of war; it's the absence of violence."

How Does Your Country Rank?

121 countries were evaluate by The Economist Intelligence Unit using nearly 3,000 data points plus another 4,000 tied to "drivers of peace."

Here's the Global Peace Index for 121 countries and their scores out of a total potential 6,897 points with the most peaceful countries achieving the lowest score:

1. Norway 1.357

2. New Zealand 1.363

3. Denmark 1.377

4. Ireland 1.396

5. Japan 1.413

6. Finland 1.447

7. Sweden 1.478

8. Canada 1.481

9 . Portugal 1.481

10. Austria 1.483

11. Belgium 1.498

12. Germany 1.523

13. Czech Republic 1.524

14. Switzerland 1.526

15. Slovenia 1.539

16. Chile 1.568

17. Slovakia 1.571

18. Hungary 1.575

19. Bhutan 1.611

20. Netherlands 1.620

21. Spain 1.633

22. Oman 1.641

23. Hong Kong 1.657

24. Uruguay 1.661

25. Australia 1.664

26. Romania 1.682

27. Poland 1.683

28. Estonia 1.684

29. Singapore 1.692

30. Qatar 1.702

31. Costa Rica 1.702

32. South Korea 1.719

33. Italy 1.724

34. France 1.729

35. Vietnam 1.729

36. Taiwan 1.731

37. Malaysia 1.744

38. United Arab Emirates 1.747

39. Tunisia 1.762

40. Ghana 1.765

41. Madagascar 1.766

42. Botswana 1.786

43. Lithuania 1.788

44. Greece 1.791

45. Panama 1.798

46. Kuwait 1.818

47. Latvia 1.848

48. Morocco 1.893

49. United Kingdom 1.898

50. Mozambique 1.909

51. Cyprus 1.915

52. Argentina 1.923

53. Zambia 1.930

54. Bulgaria 1.936

55. Paraguay 1.946

56. Gabon 1.952

57. Tanzania 1.966

58. Libya 1.967

59. Cuba 1.968

60. China 1.980

61. Kazakhstan 1.995

62. Bahrain 1.995

63. Jordan 1.997

64. Namibia 2.003

65. Senegal 2.017

66. Nicaragua 2.020

67. Croatia 2.030

68. Malawi 2.038

69. Bolivia 2.052

70. Peru 2.056

71. Equatorial Guinea 2.059

72. Moldova 2.059

73. Egypt 2.068

74. Dominican Republic 2.071

75. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.089

76. Cameroon 2.093

77. Syria 2.106

78. Indonesia 2.111

79. Mexico 2.125

80. Ukraine 2.150

81. Jamaica 2.164

82. Macedonia 2.170

83. Brazil 2.173

84. Serbia 2.181

85. Cambodia 2.197

86. Bangladesh 2.219

87. Ecuador 2.219

88. Papua New Guinea 2.223

89. El Salvador 2.244

90. Saudi Arabia 2.246

91. Kenya 2.258

92. Turkey 2.272

93. Guatemala 2.285

94. Trinidad and Tobago 2.286

95. Yemen 2.309

96. United States of America 2.317

97. Iran 2.320

98. Honduras 2.390

99. South Africa 2.399

100. Philippines 2.428

101. Azerbaijan 2.448

102. Venezuela 2.453

103. Ethiopia 2.479

104. Uganda 2.489

105. Thailand 2.491

106. Zimbabwe 2.495

107. Algeria 2.503

108. Myanmar 2.524

109. India 2.530

110. Uzbekistan 2.542

111. Sri Lanka 2.575

112. Angola 2.587

113. Cote d'Ivoire 2.638

114. Lebanon 2.662

115. Pakistan 2.697

116. Colombia 2.770

117. Nigeria 2.898

118. Russia 2.903

119. Israel 3.033

120. Sudan 3.182

121. Iraq 3.437.