'Peaceful Country' South Korea 43rd, North Korea 149th... 1st Place Is

Australia Economic Peace Institute Peace Index
1st Iceland · Lowest Afghanistan

South Korea was ranked as the 43rd most peaceful country in the world. On the other hand, North Korea ranked 149th out of 163 countries surveyed, remaining in the lowest tier this year as well.

According to the '2023 Global Peace Index Report' released on the 28th (local time) by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a private Australian research organization, North Korea's peace level rose by four places from the previous year to 149th, but it still remained in the lowest tier. The institute annually evaluates social safety and security, domestic and international conflict situations, and the degree of militarization to comprehensively assess and assign a 'peace index.'

North Korean flag. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Afghanistan was named the 'least peaceful country,' followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russia, and Ukraine. Afghanistan was rated the least peaceful country for six consecutive years.

On the other hand, Iceland was ranked as the 'most peaceful country,' followed by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria.

South Korea ranked 43rd on the peace index, which is a two-step improvement from last year. Neighboring countries Japan and China ranked 9th and 80th, respectively.

Among these, North Korea's military expenditure as a percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP) was 33.4%, making it the second highest among the 163 countries surveyed. Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, recorded 36.9%, the highest military expenditure relative to GDP.

However, although these countries have a high proportion of military spending, their relatively small economic size means that the United States is identified as the country with the highest total military expenditure every year.

Regarding the Global Peace Index, the report stated, "The peace level improved in 84 countries, but not in 79 countries." It added, "The country with the largest decline in the peace index over one year is Ukraine," noting that "65% of men aged 20 to 24 in Ukraine have either left the country or died in the conflict."

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