Croatia is the 28th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2013 global peace index, produced by the Institute for Economics and peace, headquartered in the United States and Australia.
Croatia moved up five places compared to last year's report.
The Global Peace Index ranks 162 nations according to 23 dimensions of peace; the Institute also produces national peace indices giving an in-depth analysis of internal levels of peace.
Countries are given scores on those indicators that measure internal peace (e.g. levels of perceived criminality, number of police per 100,000 people and level of organised crime) as well as external peace indicators (these include military expenditure as a % of GDP and nuclear weapons capabilities).
Despite financial turmoil of recent years, Iceland has topped the list, thanks largely to its political stability, low homicide rate and small prison population. The top of the list was littered with Western European nations that have long been peaceful; Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Belgium all made it to the top 10. In 6th place, with stringent laws on possession of firearms and good neighbourly relations, is Japan.
At the other extreme, Afghanistan continues to languish in 162nd position despite the drop in the number of people killed as a result of internal conflict, refugees and displaced people.
Among the countries of the region, Slovenia is ranked 13th, Serbia 62nd, Bosnia 71st, Montenegro 73rd and Macedonia 79th.
The United States is ranked 100th and is followed by China. Russia is ranked 155th.
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is a non-profit research organisation dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.
