- The Global Peace Index, developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranks 163 countries using 23 indicators of peace weighed on a 1-5 scale
- The lower the score, the more peaceful the country
- The indicators include:
- 6 measures of ongoing domestic and international conflict including intensity of organized internal conflicts, relations with neighboring countries and number of deaths from conflict
- 10 measured of societal safety and security including number of refugees and IDPs, impact of terrorism, homicide and incarceration rates
- 7 measures of militarization including military expenditure, number of armed service personnel, ease of access to small weapons
- Lowest scoring country (most peaceful country in the world) – Iceland
- Highest scoring country (least peaceful country in the world) – Afghanistan
- Least peaceful region – Middle East and North Africa
Global Peace Index 2021 (Africa)
- Africa recorded a slight reduction in peacefulness in 2021.
- Of the 44 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, 21 improved, 22 deteriorated and one remained unchanged.
- In Northern Africa, Egypt, Libya and Morroco saw an increase in peacefulness while Algeria deteriorated.
- Election disputes and corruption allegations drove a rise in civil unrest and political instability across Africa, with violent protests breaking out.
- Mauritius remains the most peaceful country in the region with a slight deterioration, ranked 28th on the 2021 GPI.
- South Sudan remains the least peaceful country, despite an improvement in peacefulness on the 2021 GPI.
- The largest improvement in peacefulness in the region occurred in Gabon, while the largest deterioration in peacefulness in occurred in Burkina Faso.
