Despite the conflicts and violence around the world Global Peace Index has risen slightly for the first time in five years, Report informs citing London-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which annually assesses the situation in more than 160 countries based on criteria such as war, terrorism, police violence, arms exports, social cohesion and respect for human rights.
According to the IEP, Europe remains the most peace-loving region in the world, helped by a reduction in the number of terrorist attacks last year, as well as a reduction in the influx of migrants, report says. Iceland secured the first place in ranking. It is followed by New Zealand and Portugal which took the third place. Germany dropped by four positions to 22 place, and the US is 128th.
Azerbaijan occupies the 130th place in this list, having risen by two positions compared with last year. Afghanistan closes the list of peace-loving countries. The situation has also deteriorated in Turkey, Yemen and Nicaragua. The Institute of Economics and Peace estimates the cost of violence around the world at $14.1 trillion.