This article has been updated since it was published.
The Global Peace Index 2019 has been released with Mauritius, Botswana and Malawi making it into the top 40 countries worldwide.
The Institute for Economics and Peace ranks countries according to their level of peacefulness based on three thematic domains – the level of societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarisation.
In Africa, Mauritius was ranked number one followed by Botswana and Malawi.
Rwanda showed one of the largest improvements, moving up 24 places in overall rankings, with last year marking the most peaceful year since 2009. Its improvement was driven by positive changes in all three domains, with the greatest improvement in militarisation.
South Africa is ranked 32 in Africa and 127 worldwide, dropping two places since last year.
The 2019 GPI finds that the world has become more peaceful for the first time in five years, with the average level of country peacefulness improving slightly by 0.09%.
The full Global Peace Index 2019 can be found here.
