KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has moved up four spots in the 2022 Global Peace Index (GPI) to claim the 18th place as the most peaceful country in the world.
This achievement, according to GPI, was amid the deterioration of the average level of global peacefulness that dropped by 0.3 per cent last year. Although slight, this was the 11th deterioration in peacefulness in the last 14 years.
In comparison, neighbouring countries; Singapore was ranked the ninth while Indonesia (47), Laos (51), Cambodia (62), Thailand (103), the Philippines (125) and Myanmar (139).
Malaysia also placed as the fourth most peaceful country in the Asia Pacific region, with New Zealand on top of the list, followed by Singapore and Japan.
The country was also ranked the fifth most peaceful country when it comes to militarisation.
In the report, Iceland remained the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008.
It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark and Austria.
Afghanistan was the least peaceful country in the world for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, Russia and South Sudan.
These countries have been among the 10 least peaceful countries for the last three years.
According to the report, in the past 14 years, peacefulness has fallen with an average country score deteriorating by 3.2 per cent.
Of the 163 countries in the GPI, 84 recorded deteriorations, 77 recorded improvements, and two recorded no change in score.
Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world's leading measure of global peacefulness.
This report presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on trends in peace, its economic value and how to develop peaceful societies.
The GPI 2022 report surveyed 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains - the level of societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarisation.