In the recently released Global Peace Index, the U.S. is ranked 114.
Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace has released its 2017 Global Peace Index and the United States doesn't fare well in the standings.
The U.S. is ranked 114, between Rwanda and El Salvador, on the index, that's based on a wide range of factors.
According to a news release, the institute "ranks 163 countries covering 99.7% of the world’s population. The Index gauges global peace using three domains: the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or international conflict, and the degree of militarisation. It ranks countries according to 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators of peace."
The release further notes, "the US’s score has been dragged down largely because of a deterioration in intensity of organised internal conflict and level of perceived criminality in society. These have been strongly linked to the deepening political polarization that peaked during the 2016 presidential campaign."
China and Russia also have poor rankings, showing at 116 and 151 respectively on the index.
On the other hand, Iceland is at the top, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark.
Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are at the very bottom.
The institute notes in the news statement, "2016 saw the continuation of several negative trends from ongoing conflict in Syria, Libya, Iraq, South Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan, not to mention the increased instability in the United States – yet, the global average peace score showed a slightly more peaceful world. While this is a positive trend, it also reveals an increasingly complex and divided world. "
