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The Least Peaceful Countries In The World |
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| Data released by The Institute for Economics and Peace - June.02.2009 |
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This list, also known as the Global Peace Index (GPI), was organised by The Institute for Economics and Peace, "an independent not-for-profit research institute dedicated to developing the inter-relationships between business, peace and economic development". Both the GPI, and The Institute for Economics and Peace, were founded, and driven, by Australian businessman Steve Killelea. The 2009 GPI measures the level of internal and external peace for 144 nations, and it is endorsed by the likes of Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and many more well-known political figures, and international organisations. The index is put together by The Economist Intelligence Unit and a panel of experts. |
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While the Global Peace Index (GPI) is organised by The Institute for Economics & Peace, the data is gathered by a company called The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU); a private research company owned by The Economist newspaper. The EIU, along with some additional academics and experts in the field of peace (the GPI 'Panel of Experts'), is tasked with collating the data and statistics, which comes from a variety of Government's and non-governmental NGO's, and with awarding the correct scores to each of the 144 countries which are listed. |
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| Professor Kevin P. Clements (Chairperson) |
Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies University of Otago, New Zealand |
| Professor Sultan Barakat |
Director, Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU) Department of Politics, University of York, United Kingdom |
| Dr Bates Gill |
Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Sweden
- with Dr Ian Anthony and Dr Ekaterina Stepanova |
| Dr Ronald J. Horvath |
Honorary Associate, School of Geosciences University of Sydney, Australia |
| Dr Linda S. Jamison |
Dean, Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy and Senior Fellow Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), USA |
| Dr Manuela Mesa |
Director, Center for Education and Peace Research (CEIPAZ) and President, Spanish Association for Peace Research (AIPAZ), Spain |
| Dan Smith |
Author, in a private capacity |
| Paul van Tongeren |
Secretary General, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) The Netherlands |
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The Global Peace Index (GPI) is a numerical measure of how at peace a country is with itself, and with other countries. The overall GPI score is derived from measuring a set of 23 primary indicators in three key areas; (1) measures of ongoing domestic and international conflict, (2) measures of safety and security in society and (3) measures of militarization. 60% of the overall score is derived from a nations 'internal peace', and 40% from it's 'external peace'.
But, this list of indicators is by no means exhaustive, because it is only comprised of data that is both available across the listed countries from sources which are considered 'credible' by the EIU & GPI expert panel, and are considered comparable and consistent in measurement. You can view the latest Global Peace Index report here (pdf file/64 pages), and it includes a full list of primary indicators, secondary drivers, and some additional information about how they measure GPI scores. |
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| Number of external and internal wars fought |
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Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), University of Uppsala, Sweden / International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) Armed Conflict Dataset |
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2002-07 |
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UCDP defines conflict as: "a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year". |
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| Estimated number of deaths from organized conflict (external) |
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Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) |
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2007 |
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as above |
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| Number of deaths from organized conflict (internal) |
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International Institute for Strategic Studies, Armed Conflict Database |
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2007 |
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UCDP defines conflict as: "a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year". |
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| Level of organized conflict (internal) |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the intensity of conflicts within the country. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Relations with neighbouring countries |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of relations with neighbouring countries. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Level of perceived criminality in society |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of perceived criminality. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Number of displaced people as a percentage of the population |
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UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2007 |
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2007 |
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Refugee population by country or territory of origin, as a percentage of the country’s total population. |
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| Political instability |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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This indicator addresses the degree to which political institutions are sufficiently stable to support the needs of its citizens, businesses and overseas investors. It is a composite indicator based on the scores, 1 to 5 for each of the following issues: What is the risk of significant social unrest during the next two years? How clear, established, and accepted are constitutional mechanisms for the orderly transfer of power from one government to another? How likely is it that an opposition party or group will come to power and cause a significant deterioration in business operating conditions? Is excessive power concentrated or likely to be concentrated, in the executive so that executive authority lacks accountability and possesses excessive discretion? Is there a risk that international disputes/tensions will negatively affect the economy and/or polity? |
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| Level of respect for human rights (Political Terror Scale) |
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Gibney, M., Cornett, L., & Wood, R., (year of publication) Political Terror Scale 1976-2007. Date Retrieved, from the Political Terror Scale Web site |
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2007 |
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Countries are coded on a scale of 1-5 according to their level of respect for human rights the previous year, according to the description provided in the Amnesty International and US Department County Reports. The average of the two scores is taken for our assessment. |
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| Potential for Terrorist Acts |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the potential for terrorist acts. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Number of homicides per 100,000 people |
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UNODC, 10th, 9th (and 8th) UN Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UNCJS) |
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2006, 2004, 2002 - where available |
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Intentional homicide refers to death deliberately inflicted on a person by another person, including infanticide. |
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| Level of violent crime |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the level of violent crime. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Likelihood of violent demonstrations |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the level of violent demonstrations. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Number of jailed population per 100,000 people |
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International Centre for Prison Studies, King’s College London: World Prison Population List (Eighth Edition) |
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2008 |
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| Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people |
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UNODC, 10th, 9th (and 8th) UN Survey on Criminal Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UNCJS) |
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2006, 2004, 2002 - where available |
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Refers to the civil police force as distinct from national guards or local militia. |
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| Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP |
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The International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2009 |
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2007, 2008 - where available |
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Cash outlays of central or federal government to meet the costs of national armed forces – including strategic, land, naval, air, command, administration and support forces as well as paramilitary forces, customs forces and border guards if these are trained and equipped as a military force. We use our own published data on nominal GDP to arrive at the value of military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. |
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| Number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people |
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The International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2009 |
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2007, 2008 - where available |
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Active armed services personnel comprise all servicemen and women on full-time duty in the army, navy, air force and joint forces (including conscripts and long-term assignments from the Reserves). |
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| Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons (imports) per 100,000 people |
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SIPRI Arms Transfers Project database |
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2003-07 |
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The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database covers all international sales and gifts of major conventional weapons and the technology necessary for the production of them. The transfer equipment or technology is from one country, rebel force or international organisation to another country, rebel force or international organisation. Major conventional weapons include: aircraft, armoured vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, ships, engines. |
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| Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons (exports) per 100,000 people |
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SIPRI Arms Transfers Project database |
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2003-07 |
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The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. As above. |
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| Funding for UN peacekeeping missions |
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United Nations (UN) |
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2005-07 |
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Calculation of percentage of countries' outstanding contributions versus annual assessment to the budget of the current peacekeeping missions. |
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| Aggregate number of heavy weapons per 100,000 people |
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Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC) |
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2003 |
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The BICC Weapon Holdings Database contains figures for four weapon categories: armoured vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft, major fighting ships. The numbers of weapons in these categories have been indexed, with 1996 as the fixed base year. Holdings are those of government forces and do not include holdings of armed opposition groups. Weapon systems in storage are also not included. Indices for groups are directly calculated from the aggregated numbers of holdings of heavy weapons. |
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| Ease of access to small arms and light weapons |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the ease of access to small arms and light weapons. Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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| Military capability/ sophistication |
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) |
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2008 |
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Qualitative assessment of the grade of sophistication and the extent of military research and development (R&D) Ranked 1-5 (very low-very high) by EIU analysts. |
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The biggest criticisms related to the GPI surrounds the lack of indicators specifically relating to violence against women and children. Two problems in particular relate to the non-inclusion of precise figures for both Female Genital Mutilation in some African countries, and female infanticide in China. Other criticisms relate to 'The Economist' being so heavily involved in putting this chart together, possibly ensuring that western powers get as best a score as possible. The fact that the United States - with wars it began having possibly killed millions in the past decade, it's massive military budget compared to GDP/population, huge exports of military equipment and it's enormous violent crime rates - still remains as low as No.62, could indeed point to that.
This index has some holes which will need to be filled in future versions, but it does atleast get people talking about peace, and about the issues which make up the 23 Primary Indicators within this chart. So in that sense, it has indeed achieved the expressed goal of it's founder, Australian philanthropist Steve Killelea; to be a wake-up call for leaders around the globe. His aim was to make our elected leaders think about which nations they are doing business with, and in it's three short years so far, it has done that to some extent, and particularly on it's yearly release, it has also got the mainstream media talking about issues which are included in it, and some others which should also be. |
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[1] This is the latest Global Peace Index to be released. The 1st release was during May 2007, then the second was in May 2008, with this version being released in June 2009. View a web version of the 2009 Global Peace Index here, and if you want to check out the full detailed report, you can download a full 2009 Global Peace Index 64 page pdf file here. The PDF file contains a full list of primary indicators, secondary drivers, and some additional information about how they measure GPI scores. They also comment on the 10 most peaceful, and 10 least peaceful countries, as determined by the 2009 listings. The GPI is promoted on the excellent Vision Of Humanity website, which "groups together a number of interrelated initiatives focused on global peace".
[2] The 23 Primary Indicators are described in Annex A (page 52) of the Global Peace Index 2009 report (pdf file/64 pages). Pages 55-59 of that same report also offer additional information about the 23 Primary Indicators, which we have not included above. Furthermore, from page 60 in the report, Annex B describes 33 Secondary Drivers which are also the potential determinants of Peace, as identified by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). |
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This page contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. |
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| (1) |
Purpose & Character of Use: |
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To educate our visitors about the overall amount of peace enjoyed within all nations around the World. This information is provided for non-profit educational purposes only. |
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| (2) |
Nature of Copyrighted Work: |
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The Global Peace Index 2009, by the The Institute for Economics and Peace non-profit organisation. |
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| (3) |
Portion Used: |
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The entire 2009 chart is used, although in reverse. We have also included the 'Primary Indiators', but not the 'Secondary Drivers' or other additional information which is included within the final 'Global Peace Index 2009' report. |
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| (4) |
Commercial Effect: |
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There does not appear to be any commercial effect, as the copyright holder is a non-profit organisation. If one of their main purposes is to publicise this information, we should be aiding their cause. |
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
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Get more 'Fair Use' information @ Cornell University Law School |
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