Terrorism index: Iraq two slots away from world’s least peaceful country
Iraqi children play as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr, in Mosul, Iraq June 25, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq has ranked almost at the bottom in an index listing the world’s most peaceful countries released on Wednesday, also getting a very low score among Middle Eastern countries.
Iraq ranked 161st among a 163-nation list arranged in a descending order of peacefulness in the Global Peace Index released by the Australian Institute for Economics & Peace.
Iraq was followed by Afghanistan and Syria which fell at the bottom as the world’s least peaceful nation, according to the report.
“The GPI recorded improvements in average global peace in 2016”, the report read. “The overall score for the 2017 GPI improved slightly this year due to gains in six of the nine geographical regions represented. More countries improved their levels of peacefulness, than deteriorated: 93 compared to 68”.
“Iraq and Afghanistan have also remained amongst the bottom five countries of the index for the past five years,” the report said.
Just like its world ranking, Iraq also maintains a very low position in the Middle East and North Africa list, becoming 19th among 20 countries, just before Syria.
Iceland remains as the world’s most peaceful country, a position it maintains since 2008.
Iraq has become close to retaking all territories occupied by Islamic State militants in 2014. The war has displaced at least five million and left thousands dead.