Bangladesh is well ahead of neighbouring India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Global Peace Index (GPI) this year.
Australia-based international research organisation the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) published the index recently.
A report of the institute described Bangladesh’s state of peace as ‘medium’ as it secured the 98th position among 162 countries covered in the index while India ranked at 143.
Pakistan ranks 154th and Afghanistan 161st while two other South Asian countries — Nepal and Bhutan — are ahead of Bangladesh.
Another South Asian country – the Maldives – is not included in the report.
Afghanistan has been displaced at the bottom of the index by Syria due to a slight improvement in its peace while Syria continued to deteriorate.
Afghanistan, however, has appeared as South Asia’s least peaceful nation.
South Sudan experienced the largest drop in the index this year falling to 160th and now ranking as the third least peaceful country.
Major deteriorations also occurred in Egypt, Ukraine and Central African Republic.
The GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.
It gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarisation in 162 countries by taking into account 22 indicators.
Iceland maintains its status as the most peaceful country in the world, followed by Denmark and Australia.
Other most peaceful nations are New Zealand, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Japan, Belgium and Norway.
As the least peaceful country, Syria is followed by Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, Pakistan, North Korea and Russia.
Source: Bd news24
