India has moved one notch higher to 136th position in the 2018 Global Peace Index prepared by the Sydney-based International think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace, which was topped by Iceland. The report that covers 99.7 per cent of the world's populationa nd uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators grouped into three key domains -- ongoing conflict, safety and security and militariastion, noted that "the world is less peaceful today than at any time in the last decade".
Besides iceland, some of the other most peaceful country in the world include New Zealand (ranked 2nd), Austria (3rd), As per the report that ranks 163 independent states and territories, syria is the least peaceful country followed by Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia. Ongoing conflicts such as those in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Afghnistan have, in the past decade, contributed towards a significant rise in battlefield deaths, a surging refugee population and an increase in terrorism.
Economic cost of violence
Violence cost the Indian economy a whopping USD 1.19 trillion, (over Rs 80 trillion) in 2017 in constant purchasing power parity terms, which amounts to roughly USD 595.4 per person. This was revealed in the report prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace based on analysis of 163 countries and territories.
Violence impacted USD 1,190.51 billion to the Indian economy was USD 14.76 trillion in 2017, in PPP terms. This is equivalent to 12.4 per cent of GDP, or USD 1,988 per person. The global economic impact of violence is defined as the expenditure and economic effect related to containing, preventing and dealing with the consequences of violence. The estimates include the direct and indirect cost of violence as well as an economic multiplier. The multiplier effect calculates the additional economic activity that would have accrued if the direct costs of violence had been avoided.
Syria topped the list of most affected countries by economic cost of violene as a percentage of GDP at 68 per cent, followed by Afghanistan, ira in the second and third position respectively, Others in the ten most affected countries by economic cost of violence include El Salvador, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Cyprus, Colombia, Lesotho and Somalia.
Switqweland the least affected country in the terms of economen cost of violence, followed by Indonesia and Burkina Faso.
