The 2019 Global Peace Index

The 2017 Global Peace Index reflects the reality of war and peace today with Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq ranking as the least peaceful countries of the 161 evaluated for the index. The United States experienced the greatest decline in the index since last year, slipping 11 places to rank 114^th, directly following Armenia and Rwanda and preceding El Salvador and China.

• But, what’s in the index? The Global Peace Index is comprised of 23 indicators grouped into three broad themes: the level of safety and security in a society, the number of international and domestic conflicts, and the degree of militarization. In the US case, the deterioration of its score is attributable to an increasing homicide rate and the number of terrorist attacks and mass shootings last year.
• Nearly 60 percent of the Index countries improved their scores in the 2017 edition, with Europe remaining the world’s most peaceful region. Only Canada and Australia also made the top 10.
• Learn more about the performance of specific countries on each of the three components of the index: ongoing domestic and international conflict; societal safety and security; and militarization.