World less peaceful as civil unrest and political instability increases due to COVID-19 pandemic, reveals IEP

LONDON, June 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of the 15^th edition of the Global Peace Index from the international think-tank the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP).

Key results

• Civil unrest rose globally by 10%, with Belarus recording the largest deterioration. There were 14,871 violent demonstrations, protests and riots recorded globally in 2020.
• Over 60% of people globally are worried about sustaining serious harm from violent crime.
• Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, and Afghanistan the least peaceful.
• Although there has been an improvement in militarisation since 2008, there are now signs that this trend has reversed.
• The economic impact of violence increased in 2020 to $14.96 trillion - equivalent to 11.6% of the world's GDP or $1,942 per person - due to increased military spending.
• The death toll from terrorism has declined for the sixth consecutive year.

COVID-19 highlights

• In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable impact on violence, with some improvements, such as violent conflict, while other indicators deteriorated significantly including violent demonstrations. Three times as many countries deteriorated than improved.
• Political instability also increased with twice as many countries deteriorating than improving.
• There were widespread protests against pandemic related measures with over 5,000 events recorded globally.
• Countries such as India, Chile, Italy, France, Germany, and South Africa were particularly impacted by demonstrations.
• The Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, and Switzerland are best placed for a post-COVID-19 recovery.

The 15^th edition of the annual Global Peace Index (GPI) report, the world's leading measure of global peacefulness, reveals that the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated for the ninth time in twelve years in 2020. Overall, 87 countries improved in peacefulness, whilst 73 deteriorated. This was the second smallest in the history of the index but the report also reveals that improvements in peace are more gradual than declines. As much of the world looks towards a COVID-19 recovery, increased civil unrest and political instability will be important to navigate.