Oman ranks fifth most peaceful country in MENA

Muscat: Oman is the fifth most peaceful country in the MIddle East and North Africa region, according to a study.
The Sultanate advanced four spots from last year to rank 70th out of 163 countries in the eleventh edition of the World Peace Index, compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
Oman follows Qatar, ranked number one in the region, with Kuwait, UAE, and Tunisia trailing behind at second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Iceland has maintained its position as the most peaceful country in the world in 2017, and has been ranked as the world’s most peaceful country since 2008.
Iceland is followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark, as the top five most peaceful countries.
The top ten rankings are all countries within Europe’s geographic region, with the exception of Canada and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the bottom five countries are Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Syria remains the world’s least peaceful country for the second successive year, and has been ranked amongst the world’s five least peaceful countries since the start of the civil war in 2013.
The Middle East and North Africa is the lowest-ranked region in the survey, reinforced by a further deterioration in its overall score in 2017.
The report cites regional instability, sectarian violence, and the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria as the main contributors to the low ranking.
However, a number of countries, such as Oman, have reversed the overall negative trend in the region by achieving an improvement in their overall score, by maintaining political and social stability.
“The overall score for the 2017 Global Peace Index (GPI) improved slightly this year due to gains in six of the nine geographical regions represented. This is the first improvement in global peacefulness recorded since 2014. Of significance is the number of countries that improved, 93, compared to those that deteriorated, 68,” the report said.
Three domains were used as a means to comprise the index: Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, Societal Safety and Security, and Militarisation.