There are 195 countries in this world, and each one of them has something special. When people relocate from their home country to some other country, they have certain requirements in their mind as per their priorities. Good living standards, better pay scale, good air to breathe, clear water supply, better public transportation, and a peaceful atmosphere are common requirements that everyone has while looking for a new place to move to for a better life. The world has been suffering from several problems: population explosion, terrorism, human rights abuses, riots, violence, corruption, discrimination, and pollution.
For a society to be peaceful, social issues must be addressed regularly, and everyone is treated fairly. Apart from this, the country’s economy must be doing well, and people should be paid well so that household income is higher than the global average. Every year, countries are ranked on the Global Peace Index as per their performance. The report is prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The Institute measures the position of 172 nations and the peacefulness in the region before compiling the list. An internal peace panel comprising peace experts from across the world is consulted by the Institute before the list preparation. As per the Global Peace Index, we’ve brought you a list of the 5 most peaceful countries in the world.
5. Denmark:
Nordic countries have done particularly well in terms of peace and payscale. Denmark ranked 5th in the Global Peace Index, is one of the most peaceful countries. It has successfully maintained its reputation since 2017. However, there was a sudden drop in Denmark’s rank after a rise in weapon imports in 2018. This resulted in Denmark dropping from the 2nd spot to the 5th spot. Despite that, there has been a huge drop in terrorism or terror-related activities in entire Europe, and Denmark has done particularly well. The freedom to citizens, better pay scale, satisfaction among the natives, and good governance have helped Denmark hold a place in the top 5.
4. Austria:
Austria is one of the most peaceful and developed countries to live in Europe. The human growth index and the citizens’ pay scale leave little room for rioting or any other violence-related activities. Also, the place has seen limited or no terror activities in the past few years except the recent attack that contributed to Austria falling one place on the table. It has immensely contributed to UN peacekeeping missions. The country has also done well in terms of weapon exports. The election of Sebastian Kurz’s People Party and its partner, the Freedom Party, in October 2017, however, resulted in some social unrest. Still, the country has done remarkably well to address the social issues and hold its badge of being a peaceful country.
3. Portugal:
Finding Portugal in this list at number 3 might come as a shock, but it is one of the most peaceful countries to live in. The rank of Portugal fell from 3 to 4 in 2018. Still, its continuous contribution to UN peacekeeping funding helped it in retaining the third stop. The country also made remarkable improvements in terms of the Political Terror Scale and homicide. The period between 2014 and 2019 has been remarkable in terms of Portugal’s growth in GPI. The government in the country addressed the financial crisis and other social issues. It helped Portugal take a giant leap from the 18th position to the 3rd position.
2. New Zealand:
Angela Merkel has been a face of women empowerment for the world, but apart from being a shining face of the ‘She’ power, her governance has helped New Zealand remarkably in taking giant leaps in terms of development, peace, and human development. New Zealand is an epitome of peace with little or no political unrest, almost no organized violence cases, and a remarkably low terror rate except the March 2019 ‘Christchurch Attack‘ in South Island. But the terror attack didn’t cost New Zealand a place as the country continued to work continuously to improve the GPI indicator.
1. Iceland:
Iceland is one such place that’s on every traveler’s wishlist. To start with, Iceland’s achievements it has been holding the title of being the most peaceful country in the world since the launch of the Global Peace Index 13 years ago. Iceland has everything that it takes to be called a heaven on earth, from beautiful scenic landscapes to hot springs and serene holiday spots. 22 percent of Iceland’s indicators improved in the past 13 years. The country has outperformed any other country while working towards peace in the region. The homicide rate has decreased significantly while the country’s contribution to US peacekeeping has increased.
