WELLINGTON – New Zealand has been named the most peaceful country on earth in the latest Global Peace Index, an annual ranking of 144 nations on the basis of how peaceful they are.
An AAP story for The Age said Nordic nations dominated the top of the chart, with Denmark, Norway and Iceland coming second, third and fourth, followed by Austria and Sweden.
Australia was 19th, sandwiched between Switzerland at 18th and Chile at 20th, and an eight-spot improvement on last year.
New Zealand scored top position thanks to its relatively low rate of violence, decrease in military spending and the election of a conservative coalition government last year.
The Kiwi nation also got top marks for its homicide rate and the level of respect for human rights.
It replaces Iceland, which has seen an increase in violence and violent demonstrations following the banking collapse that engulfed its economy in September.
Bottom of the list was Iraq, which has claimed the wooden spoon three years running.
It sits below Afghanistan, Somalia and Israel, followed by Sudan, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Pakistan, Russia and Zimbabwe.
