The State of Global Peace

According to the Global Peace Index 2017, released today, the world has overall become a safer place over the last twelve months. The United States, however, dropped from rank 103 to 114 (out of 161) this year. The Institute for Economics and Peace cites the deep rooted division awoken by the presidential election campaign as one of the main reasons for the downgrade.

At the top of the list, Iceland was named the world's most peaceful nation, with New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark making up the top five. At the bottom of the ranking was Syria. followed by Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen.

Overall, the economic impact of violence on the global economy totalled $14.3 trillion - equivalent to 12.6 percent of the world's GDP or $1,953 for every person.