According to the Global Peace Index, Austria ranked third among the world’s most peaceful countries in 2024, overtaken by Ireland with 1.303 points and the ranking-leading country Iceland with 1.112 points. However, Austria leads the DACH region (German-speaking countries), leaving Switzerland in the 6th place and Germany in the 20th.

What is the Global Peace Index?
The Global Peace Index is an effort by the Institute for Economics and Peace to measure the degree of peacefulness in countries worldwide and rank them accordingly. The first list was created in 2007 and has since been published annually. The index includes many indicators relating to both domestic and international peacefulness.

International indicators
The majority of indicators relate to involvement in military conflict or the efforts of the state in question to resolve conflict and ensure the safety of those affected. For example, those states that give more financial support to UN peacekeeping missions are considered to be more peaceful, while those who have a higher military expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are considered to be less peaceful. The United States never reached the top 20 of the list, partly due to its high military spending as a percentage of GDP.

Domestic factors focus on both the amount of violence and crime in addition to incarceration rates. Again, the United States fails to reach levels akin to other countries. The country’s incarceration rates are significantly higher than in other OEDC countries. Moreover, the number of deaths from gun violence also contributes to the relatively low peacefulness ranking of the United States.

The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.