02 June, 2017
The index - compiled by think tank the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) - uses 23 indicators to gauge ongoing domestic and global conflict, safety and security in society, and the degree of militarisation in countries and territories.
According to the Global Peace Index, the world is now 0.28 percent more peaceful than past year.
Despite the declining USA score, terror attacks in Europe and conflicts in the Middle East, the world is actually becoming more peaceful, according to the study, with 93 countries listed as improving in this year's study, while 68 deteriorated. However, harmony has decreased in the U.S. and terrorism records have expanded.
This was driven by a drop in state-sponsored violence, including torture and extrajudicial killings, and a decrease in the murder rate.
Deaths from terrorism have risen more than 900% since 2007 in the 35 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The global level of peace in the US has deteriorated because of increased political polarization within the country's political system, according to the GPI survey.
The index gauges global peace by taking into account 23 factors within three main domains - the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or worldwide conflict, and the degree of militarization. Sixty percent of countries now have a higher level of terrorism in comparison with 10 years ago.
The combined Middle East and North Africa was the least peaceful region in the world. Last week's terror attack in Manchester, which killed 22 people, was not reflected in the figures. The report suggests that increased support for populism in Europe is connected with a deterioration in peace levels, as well as a growth in wealth inequality, reduction of media freedoms and a decline in acceptance of human rights. Its fall has been the starkest of the past decade.
Iceland is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark, all of which were ranked highly in the 2016 Global Peace Index.
Syria was the least peaceful country overall for the fifth consecutive year, with Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen rounding out the bottom five.
