World's Most Peaceful Countries: Global Peace Index (PHOTOS)

New Zealanders have the distinction of living in the world's most peaceful nation, according to a new report released Thursday.

Prepared by the Sydney, Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, the Global Peace Index (GPI) annually ranks 149 countries based on a range of variables, including corruption, crime rates, military spending and access to primary education.

The United States fared distinctly less well, coming in at 85th on the list, which placed us below both Cuba (72nd) and China (80th).

The GPI also lists the world's most violent country as Iraq, followed by Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan and Pakistan.

The report also estimates that world peace would save $7 trillion annually, and argues that the money now spent on security could be re-invested to make a given country more prosperous.

View the world's 15 most peaceful countries below:

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New Zealand

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rascalcat said on 12 Saturday 2010 pm30 12:03 pm: My only surprise is that US is not even closer to the bottom on this. Any peaceful countries with palm trees? I'm looking to expat, but do not like the cold.

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Most Peaceful Country

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Comments

[AirViceMarshalPark]

12:45 AM on 07/01/2010

I have never seen a more sad place than Austria. It is mired in the nazzy era and its ethnic politics.

[MarkMad]

08:36 PM on 06/27/2010

Peaceful maybe yes, inexpensive no! Not to mentioned too pious!

[PreacherThug]

12:03 PM on 06/20/2010

WTF....Qatar!
I could that that ONLY if you were a Arab Muslim.

[ixington]

02:54 AM on 06/21/2010

You've never visited the place if you feel that way.

I know "arab muslims" from Qatar with better English grammar than you; perhaps you shouldn't be so pious.

[PreacherThug]

09:05 AM on 06/25/2010

I say that because I lived six months in that cesspool of slave labor and putrid people flaunting their wealth. Like I said before, only if you're an Arab Muslim could you vote this place as one of the most peaceful.
Appearantly you were indeed sold on all the glitz. Perhaps the cars with the spinning doors impressed to dramatically. Instead of calling me pious, why don't you go back to watching The Kardashians.

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

11:37 PM on 06/19/2010

The U S is the world's most violent country. Ask any victim of our imperial military, our death squads, our gangs, our prison system, our corporate employment, our agriculture, our food industry, our media industry, our for profit educational system, or our health care system.

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

11:28 PM on 06/19/2010

Is their media owned by boeing, lockheed, physer, monsanto, aig, chase, bayer, united industries, ge, kraft, bFa, w.r. grace, us chamber of horrors?

[somethingpretty]

10:57 PM on 06/19/2010

Hmm. All the whaling nations are on this list: Japan, Iceland, Norway, Denmark (Faroes and Greenland), and Canada (dropped out of the IWC). Peaceful countries, unless you're a whale or a dolphin.

[ixington]

12:39 PM on 06/20/2010

sea mammals aren't people.

[dhinds]

12:18 PM on 07/04/2010

No, they aren't nearly as violent.

[dhinds]

12:17 PM on 07/04/2010

Or a seal.

[Douglas Campbell]

06:24 PM on 06/19/2010

Cemeteries are peaceful, it doesn't mean I want to live in one.

[Virgil Williams]

03:19 PM on 06/19/2010

They should have put Oman on the list. I've lived here for years, and it's clean, safe, and quite well-governed. Though not a "democracy" in any Western sense, the population does have voting rights and women can vote, work, and study whatever they want. The national health service is very good and covers all who work here, whatever their nationality. Although the government is decidedly pro-western, it maintains cordial ties with virtually everyone. And unlike the UAE, where development has gone berserk, buildings are restricted to a maximum 11 stories, and architectural designs must adhere to a unique Omani aesthetic.

[camischi]

10:26 PM on 06/20/2010

Oman IS on the list! It is ranked number 23 on the peace index http://www.visionofhumanity.org

[Sebastian de Fancamp]

10:00 AM on 06/18/2010

This is another meaningless list. You compare peaceful countries like the scandinavian democracies with represive regimes like the Qatar or Singapure, which one would choose to live in if you like to drink alcohol, same gender sex or spit your chewing gum on the street? You may also find in the same country areas with very diferent security levels usually tied in to the economic level of such areas, crime is rampant in the banlieux of Paris however in La Côte d'Azur is as peaceful as can be. Pure nonsense this type of list.

[rachlz]

05:17 PM on 06/18/2010

From what I see, the GPI measures the absence of violence, not one's right to litter or drink alcohol. Check out the indicators on the website http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2010/scor
And if governments had better data collection, it would be possible to measure differences in levels of violent crime in one area of a country vs. another area...

[FunkSands]

01:08 AM on 06/18/2010

Peaceful, and suprisingly good a soccer. Good on ya'!

[camischi]

09:46 PM on 06/17/2010

check this vieo out, it's from the same people who did the index, a political who's who singing give peace a chance, pretty cool:
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/info-center/video-gallery/give-peace-a-chance/

[jfair80]

05:43 PM on 06/17/2010

I am shocked that Canada made the list considering Afghanistan and Ice Hockey.

[camischi]

09:14 PM on 06/17/2010

yep but it dropped since last year. don't know if it's for the hockey, but certainly the involvement in afghanistan ...http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2009/scor/CA/detail

[camischi]

09:17 PM on 06/17/2010

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2009/scor/CA/detail can't get these links right!

[jjdrma]

05:32 PM on 06/17/2010

did anyone mention Bhutan. The clountry that brought in the concept of Gross National Happyness as the tool to measure anations accomplishments....

[camischi]

10:30 PM on 06/20/2010

here's an article by the buthan observer on it's listing in the global peace index
http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/2010/bhutanesetown/06/bhutan-most-peaceful-in-saarc-regionlate.html

[SiberianRat]

02:00 PM on 06/17/2010

Bhutan?

[Virgil Williams]

03:06 PM on 06/19/2010

Yes, it's a small country sandwiched between Tibet and India and to the east of Nepal. So far as I know, it's not been in an altercation with anyone for several centuries.

[camischi]

10:31 PM on 06/20/2010

here you go:http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/2010/bhutanesetown/06/bhutan-most-peaceful-in-saarc-regionlate.html

[santiago sherwood]

01:08 PM on 06/17/2010

Sweden, Finland and the Czech republic are some of the largest arms suppliers to the global conflicts so they should not be on the list. Austria and Qatar are leading money laundering centers they are no better. These countries profit from global conflict, so why are they considered peaceful.

[Mortifyd]

03:37 PM on 06/17/2010

Because they're smart enough not to start or fight wars like we do. You think we don't profit off war - well Halliburton does at any rate.

[camischi]

08:09 PM on 06/17/2010

looking at the maps on the site, Sweden is very red on the arms export indicator so these countries are "penalized" for their arms export:http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2010/WEEX