"Where Are Safe Travel Destinations?"... A Look at the World's 'Peaceful Countries'

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] South Korea ranked 43rd, placing in the upper-middle tier among the most peaceful countries worldwide this year.

According to the '2022 Global Peace Index (GPI)' report recently released by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), South Korea recorded a GPI score of 1.779, ranking 43rd out of 163 countries. This marks an 8-rank improvement compared to last year.

The GPI quantifies peace by evaluating 23 indicators such as internal and external conflicts and military expenditure across 163 countries worldwide. The closer the total score is to 1, the more peaceful the state is considered.

In this survey, mainly European countries ranked in the top tier. Iceland was named the most peaceful country in the world again this year with a score of 1.107. Other countries in the top five included Ireland (1.288), Denmark (1.296), and Austria (1.300).

Japan scored highly in safety and ranked 10th. China ranked 89th, being considered more peaceful than the United States, which ranked 129th.

Iceland was ranked as the most peaceful country in the world again this year, following last year. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

Ukraine, invaded by Russia, dropped 17 places from last year to 153rd (2.971 points). Russia also fell 5 places to 160th (3.275 points). The IEP reported that these countries were among the five nations where peace deteriorated the most.

North Korea ranked 152nd (2.942 points), placing near the bottom. Notably, its military expenditure relative to GDP was 24%, the highest among surveyed countries. Additionally, the economic cost caused by violence in North Korea was 27.2% of GDP, comparable to Afghanistan (29.9%) and Colombia (25.9%).

Meanwhile, the average GPI value reportedly decreased by 0.03%. This is analyzed as an effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and related factors. According to the IEP, scores significantly dropped in indicators such as political terror scale and political instability. Relations with neighboring countries and refugee indices were also the lowest since the introduction of the GPI. The IEP also noted that increases in food and energy problems triggered by the war had an impact.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.