While on holiday most folks would like to avoid the world's trouble spots and concentrate around the most peaceful places. But where are and what are most peaceful countries on the planet? Well, it so happens that there is a yearly Global Peace Index produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace.
But just because a country receives a bad score, doesn't mean that certain shouldn't go to the country. Even dangerous countries can be safe if a person has accurate and reliable information and it is aware and follows the best advice. One can also refer to countries' official international travel advice and find out exactly what the government recommends and cautions.
Peace In real life Is Complicated
It should be noted that what makes a country peaceful or not is very complex and developing a list where all the data points are reduced right into a single numbered score ignores the complexity of the real world. Also, bad unexpected things happen everywhere so the list does not necessarily mean that you can be carefree.
- Caution: Even In The Most “Peaceful” Places You ought to Still Exercise Normal Precautions
A country can also be dangerous in one location, but not another. Everyone knows there are places in certain American cities that certain ought to be cautious about visiting while other neighborhoods are very safe.
Some countries like the Republic of Georgia have places that nobody should visit (they are considered occupied), as the rest of the country is recognized as safe.
The nature from the danger may also be very different. It can be the country is heavily militarized but there's little crime. In some places, the threat is war during others its general crime.
Remember no where in the world is a perfect utopia (and much less places than many think are a true hell either).
How The worldwide Peace Index Works
The Global Peace Index measures the relative position of the countries' peacefulness. As a whole, 163 independent states and territories are ranked. The ranking consumes data collected through the Economist Intelligence Unit and with input from various think tanks and experts. The index is style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”>
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Unfortunately, the trend during the last few years continues to be mostly negative and also the gap between your most and least peaceful countries is continuing to grow. Hopefully, this will reverse in the future.
The List And also the Most Peaceful Countries In The World
The most peaceful country was Iceland. That's understandable when one considers that it is a small country close to 400,000 individuals with no neighbors and has no army (there are just a coast guard with vessels and 4 planes). After that New Zealand was probably the most peaceful. America was handed a low score of 2.337 being ranked as the 122nd most peaceful from 163 countries (just above South Africa).
According to the 2022 Global Peace Index, probably the most peaceful countries are:
- Iceland: Score 1.100
- New Zealand: Score 1.253
- Denmark: Score 1.256
- Portugal: Score 1.267
- Slovenia: Score 1.315
- Austria: Score 1.317
- Switzerland: Score 1.323
- Ireland: Score 1.326
- Czech Republic: Score 1.329
- Canada: Score 1.330
Fortunately, all these countries will also be a few of the world's most stunning and rewarding countries to visit. The majority of them are renowned for their stunning landscapes and outdoor settings. Also, the majority of the countries are very simple for first-time travelers with most countries out there either speaking English or having populations very well versant in English.
That the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq were seen to become minimal peaceful. These countries will not be an unexpected to many and they are on few people's bucket lists.
- Least Peaceful Countries: Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq
- Most Peaceful States: Maine, Vermont, Nh, Minnesota, and Utah
For those interested, they also have a peace index for the United States by state. America are measured with 5 indicators: homicide, violent crime, incarceration, police employees, and small arms. The most peaceful states were ranked as Maine, Vermont, Nh, Minnesota, and Utah. The least peaceful state was Lousiana.
Usefully, when they in addition have a peace index for the states of Mexico. So check out when one is likely to visit America's southern neighbor.