North Korea is one of the “least peaceful” states in the world, according to new survey results from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
The institute released its annual “Global Peace Index” yesterday, ranking North Korea 152nd out of 158 countries surveyed. States were assessed based on three overall categories (ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization), sub-divided into twenty-three further categories.
The report points to extreme militarization as well as ongoing security tensions as the primary causes of North Korea’s lowly position.
However, it additionally notes improvements since last year, claiming a decrease in violent crime compared to 2011, when it alleges the regime’s brutality skyrocketed to help secure the succession of Kim Jong Eun.
It also goes on to assert that North Korea greatly outranks the rest in military spending as a percentage of GDP (an estimated 20%). In this category it is followed by Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh only spends a comparatively meager 7.7%, albeit of a far, far bigger total budget.
Far ahead of North Korea, the five most peaceful countries were ranked as Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand, followed by Canada and Japan. South Korea placed 42nd, while the United States ranked 88th – just barely beating China in 89th. The only countries ranked beneath it were Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia. Overall, it claims that the world has become “slightly” more peaceful since last year.
