A new report says the world is slightly more peaceful than it was a year ago. The report was made an organization called the Institute Economics and Peace (IEP). The IEP has reported world peace the past 10 years. Every year, it publishes a document called the Global Peace Index (GPI). This index ranks 163 countries and territories their level peacefulness. It also offers advice how to develop peaceful societies. The latest report found that the world became 0.28% more peaceful the past year. Iceland is the most peaceful country the world. It has been number one the GPI since 2008. The next four most peaceful countries are New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark.
The report says that the past year, 93 countries have become more peaceful, while 68 have got more violent. Researchers measured many things to work the level peace in each country. They measured the murder rate, how easy it was to get weapons, terrorism and terror attacks, and the number soldiers or police each country had. The IEP said Syria is the least peaceful country the world. Syria has now been bottom the list for five years a row. The next four most violent countries are Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen. The chairman the IEP warned that: "The world is still [stuck] conflict the Middle East, political turmoil the US, refugee flows, and terrorism Europe."
