The 17th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) has placed Portugal as the 7th safest and most peaceful country globally, continuing its ascent in the rankings compared to the 2022 index.
Topping the list for the 16th consecutive time is Iceland, which remains the most peaceful country in the world since 2008, with Portugal securing a score of 1.333.
Accordingly, “Portugal firmly maintains its place within the top ten most peaceful countries. It also holds the 4th rank in militarization and is recognized as the 5th most peaceful country in Europe.”
This places Portugal just behind Iceland (1.124 points) and ahead of Denmark (1.310 points), Ireland (1.312 points), New Zealand (1.313 points), Austria (1.316 points), and Singapore (1.332 points). Portugal has surpassed countries such as Japan (1.336 points), Switzerland (1.339 points), Canada (1.350 points), and Finland (1.399 points).
On a global scale, despite 126 countries improving their peace index between 2009 and 2020, the 2023 GPI highlights a concerning trend. It reveals that the overall level of global peace has deteriorated for the ninth consecutive year.
Of the 163 countries assessed, 84 exhibited an enhancement in peace, while 79 experienced a decline. The concept of Positive Peace, as gauged by the Positive Peace Index (PPI), encompasses attitudes, institutions, and structures essential in fostering and maintaining peaceful societies.
Of concern is that the decline has outweighed the advancements, attributed partly to the surge in post-COVID civil unrest and persistent political instability, alongside an escalation in regional and global conflicts.
The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.
The Global Peace Index (GPI) measures the relative position of nations and regions’ peacefulness. The GPI ranks 172 independent states and territories (99.7 percent of the world’s population) according to their levels of peacefulness.
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