Global Peace Index (GPI)

The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an attempt to measure the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness. 

• It is the product of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. 
• The list was launched in May 2007 and updates have been made on an annual basis since then. 
• It is claimed to be the first study to rank countries around the world according to their peacefulness.

The index gauges global peace using three broad themes: 

• the level of safety and security in society, 
• the extent of domestic and international conflict, and 
• the degree of militarization.

Factors are both internal such as levels of violence and crime within the country and external such as military expenditure and wars. 

The GPI has been criticised for not including indicators specifically relating to violence against women and children.

The updated index is released each year at events in London, Washington, DC; and at the United Nations Secretariat in New York. 

GPI and India:-

• India was ranked 141st on a Global Peace Index for the year 2016 making it less peaceful than countries like Burundi, Serbia and Burkina Faso with violence taking a 680-billion dollar toll on its economy in 2015.

In a ranking of 163 countries, compiled by global think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Syria has been named the least peaceful, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

On the other hand, Iceland was ranked as the world’s most peaceful country, followed by Denmark and Austria.

India has moved up two position, from 143rd last year, but the study said the country’s peace score has “deteriorated” over the past year which means the slight rise in ranking could be due to worse performance of others.