According to the Global Peace Index 2012, based on a survey conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Iceland is the world’s most peaceful country this year. Iceland also topped the index in 2011 and usually ranks high.
The park in Laugardalur in Reykjavík. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
The country’s lowest ranking was number four in 2009 when the so-called pots and pans revolution, following the banking collapse, was at its height. Iceland was back in second place the next year, ruv.is reports.
The survey included factors such as the ratio of prisoners, murders, crime rates and the number of police officers, comparing 158 countries.
Somalia bottoms out for the second year in a row, preceded only by Afghanistan in 157th place. At the other end of the scale, Denmark, New Zealand and Canada are considered to be the world’s most peaceful countries, following Iceland.
ESA
