Civil unrest has doubled since 2011 as 96 countries recorded a violent demonstration in 2019; as citizens protest on a range of issues, from economic hardship and police brutality to political instability, a global survey said on Wednesday, June 10.
The latest Global Peace Index (GPI) released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), also says global peace has deteriorated for the fourth time in five years, while the world is experiencing less peace.
According to the GPI ranking, the peace situation in 80 countries has deteriorated.
Europe remains the most peaceful region, and report says that the Middle East and North Africa are the most unsafe places in the world.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran's ranking, compared with the previous year (2018), has dropped three points reaching a low of 142 among 163 countries.
A variety of factors, such as internal and external tensions, including political tensions, military spending, involvement in terrorism, and the level of violence, conflicts, killings, and arrests has been considered in the IEP's study.
The institute says Iran has had the sharpest drop in its ranking in the region. The widespread mid-November protests in 2019, which was violently suppressed, as well as severe inflation in the country, contributed to the drop in its ranking.
Another factor that has always contributed to the decline of Iran's ranking is the Islamic Republic's support for warring militias in the region, especially in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
Based on the survey, Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world, ranking first as in previous years, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark.
In the meantime, the United States ranks 121st, seven steps higher than the previous year. U.S. military expenditures and involvement around the world are contributing factors to its relatively low ranking.
The IEP classifies countries into four groups in terms of the Peace Index and displays them in different colors on a map; green, yellow, orange, and red, which represent the best to worst countries in GPI's ranking. The Islamic Republic has been displayed in orange.
In the ranking of the World Peace Index, 21 countries have a worse situation than Iran. However, Iran is in a lower position than Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, India, and Kenya.
The worst countries in terms of peace and security are Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
In the meantime, IEP notes that "in a world full of peace and security, everyone's living conditions will improve," especially now that the world is struggling with the coronavirus outbreak. "Peace and tranquility will help fight the disease," the report has insisted.
The report is not devoid of good news as it says, "Although peacefulness has deteriorated in the last decade, militarization is improving overall, and 100 countries have decreased their military expenditures since 2008."
Moreover, the economic impact of violence in 2019 improved due to lessening of the intensity of internal conflict, while violence cost the global economy $14.5 trillion or 10.6% of global GDP.
The report says that deaths from terrorism also fell for the fourth consecutive year, down by 75%.
