Peace, some people say, starts with a smile. But ask anyone who lives in one of the most peaceful countries in the world, and they will probably tell you that it is the other way around. These most peaceful nations also enjoy lower interest rates, a stronger currency and higher foreign investment -- not to mention better political stability and stronger correlation with the individual level of perceived happiness.
Sadly, the economic impact of violence is quantifiable too: on a global scale, in 2017 it amounted to $14.76 trillion in purchasing-power parity (PPP) terms, or to 12.4% of the total global gross domestic product (if the sheer scale of these figures makes them a little hard to grasp, we are talking about $1,988 for each person on the planet).
These are the most significant takeaways from the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI)compiled by the international think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) covering 163 independent states and territories home to 99.7% of the world’s population. The ranking, which is based on 23 indicators grouped into three criteria (societal safety and security, extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and degree of militarization), paints a sobering picture: global peace has declined by 0.27% in the last year, the fourth consecutive annual drop, making the world less peaceful today than at any time in the last decade. In the meantime, the number of refugees has rocketed to 1% of the global population, the highest level in modern history.
For an 11th consecutive year, the tiny northern European nation of Iceland was ranked as the world’s safest place. Home to around 300,000 people, Iceland’s crime rate is minuscule, with just 1.8 murders per 100,000 people annually.
Peacefulness is also correlated with strong performance on a number of macroeconomic variables. Interest rates are lower and more stable in highly peaceful countries, as is the rate of inflation. Foreign direct investment is more than twice as high in highly peaceful countries. In total, if the least peaceful countries had grown at the same rate as highly peaceful countries, the global economy would be almost 14 trillion dollars larger.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore tops the list while Philippines trails at the bottom. Here's the full rank:
Source : Vision of Humanity | Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) | Business Insider