FULL LIST: Most Peaceful Nations On Earth Revealed...Ghana Ranked Higher Than UK, USA, France!
Iceland has once again held its position as the most 'peaceful' nation on Earth, according to this year's Global Peace Index and in addition, the world's overall 'peacefulness' has improved for the first time in five years.
Afghanistan was bottom of the list, moving below even Syria, while South Sudan, Yemen and Iraq were all in the bottom five while Nigeria occupied the 148th position.
The report measures the 'peacefulness' of 163 countries with a range of measures including military spending and deaths from conflict and terrorism, as well as an estimated economic cost of violence.
Iceland, often portrayed as an idyllic Nordic paradise, came first in the rankings for the 12th year in a row as researchers praised the country's falling murder rate and increase in funding to UN peacekeeping.
New Zealand came second, as the report's authors noted the violence of the Christchurch mosque attack but said the country had improved other scores and developed a 'resilience' to cope with such disasters.
Portugal was third, and Austria fourth despite an increase in 'likelihood of violent demonstrations' after a far-right party joined the government. Denmark was fifth, with European nations dominating the top of the list.
'Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and it recorded a very slight improvement in peacefulness after several years of deterioration. However, despite these improvements, the broader political environment in Europe remains uncertain, and resurgent nationalism and terrorism remain significant threats to peace' the report said.
Brexit was also mentioned, as researchers said the UK 'continues to struggle with its plan for exiting the European Union' in what they called a 'mixed' year for international relations.
Japan scored highly among leading world powers, coming in as the world's 9th-most peaceful country. Germany was 22nd, the United Kingdom 45th and France 60th, while the United States dropped four places to 128th.
See the full list below...
1. Iceland 2. New Zealand 3. Portugal 4. Austria 5. Denmark 6. Canada 7. Singapore 8. Slovenia 9. Japan 10. Czech Republic 11. Switzerland 12. Ireland 13. Australia 14. Finland 15. Bhutan 16. Malaysia 17. Netherlands 18. Belgium 18. Sweden 20. Norway 21. Hungary 22. Germany 23. Slovakia 24. Mauritius 25. Romania 26. Bulgaria 27. Chile 28. Croatia 29. Poland 30. Botswana 31. Qatar 32. Spain 33. Costa Rica 34. Uruguay 35. Latvia 36. Taiwan 37. Estonia 38. Lithuania 39. Italy 40. Malawi 41. Indonesia 42. Mongolia 43. Kuwait 44. Ghana 45. United Kingdom 45. Laos 47. Panama 48. Timor-Leste 48. Zambia 50. Serbia 51. Albania 52. Sierra Leone 53. United Arab Emirates 54. Tanzania 55. South Korea 55. Madagascar 57. Vietnam 58. Senegal 59. Liberia 60. France 60. Namibia 62. The Gambia 63. Cyprus 64. Kazakhstan 65. Greece 65. North Macedonia 67. Montenegro 68. Moldova 69. Oman 70. Equatorial Guinea 71. Ecuador 72. Benin 72. Sri Lanka 72. Eswatini 75. Argentina 76. Nepal 77. Angola 77. Jordan 79. Rwanda 80. Peru 81. Bosnia and Herzegovina 82. Tunisia 83. Jamaica 84. Dominican Republic 85. Bolivia 86. Kosovo 87. Haiti 88. Paraguay 89. Cambodia 90. Morocco 91. Cuba 92. Guyana 93. Trinidad and Tobago 94. Mozambique 95. Kyrgyz Republic 96. Gabon 97. Belarus 98. Papua New Guinea 99. Georgia 100. Guinea 101. Bangladesh 102. Uzbekistan 103. Lesotho 104. Burkina Faso 105. Tajikistan 105. Uganda 107. Cote d' Ivoire 108. Togo 109. Djibouti 110. China 111. Algeria 112. Guinea-Bissau 113. El Salvador 114. Guatemala 115. Turkmenistan 116. Brazil 117. Thailand 118. Armenia 119. Kenya 120. Nicaragua 121. Republic of the Congo 122. Mauritania 123. Honduras 124. Bahrain 125. Myanmar 126. Niger 127. South Africa 128. United States of America 129. Saudi Arabia 130. Azerbaijan 131. Ethiopia 132. Zimbabwe 133. Eritrea 134. Philippines 135. Burundi 136. Egypt 137. Chad 138. Cameroon 139. Iran 140. Mexico 141. India 142. Palestine 143. Colombia 144. Venezuela 145. Mali 146. Israel 147. Lebanon 148. Nigeria 149. North Korea 150. Ukraine 151. Sudan 152. Turkey 153. Pakistan 154. Russia 155. Democratic Republic of the Congo 156. Libya 157. Central African Republic 158. Somalia 159. Iraq 160. Yemen 161. South Sudan 162. Syria 163. Afghanistan