Norway Ranked among Top Ten Most Peaceful Nations in the World

The Top 10 most peaceful countries in the World were announced yesterday by the Institute for Economics & Peace:


1 New Zealand
2 Iceland
3 Japan
4 Austria
5 Norway
6 Ireland
7 Denmark
7 Luxembourg
9 Finland
10 Sweden


Western Europe is markedly the most peaceful region, with the majority of the countries in this group ranking in the top 20 overall.


According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, Norway’s score deteriorated slightly from last year, contributing to a slide of two places to 5th position in the 2010 GPI. Access to small arms and light weapons remains highly restricted. Relations between Norway and its neighboring Scandinavian countries, with which it shares a strong cultural and linguistic heritage, are very good, with close co-operation remaining a cornerstone of Norway’s foreign policy. Most GPI indicators relating to safety and security point to a harmonious society: violent crime is rare, human rights are accorded great respect, the political scene is stable and violent demonstrations are highly unlikely to occur. There are more security officers and police per head in Norway than in Denmark, Finland and Sweden.


The results of the Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2010 suggest that the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year. The GPI, which gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarization in 149 countries, registered overall increases in several indicators, including the likelihood of violent demonstrations and perceptions of criminality. In some nations, an intensification of conflicts and growing instability appears to be linked to the global economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009.