On June 12 of this year, the Global Peace Index (GPI) found Chile to be the most peaceful country to live in Latin America and the 30th most peaceful country to live in the world.
2012 marks the 6th year of this study performed by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The index ranks 158 countries according to 23 different indicators which include military spending and capability, inter-neighbor relations, acts of terrorism, and funding for UN peacekeeping operations. This year, Chile received an index number of 1.62, slightly higher than the 1.57 received in 2007 when the GPI began publishing data. This places Chile as the highest-ranked country in the region, followed by last year´s leading Latin American country, Uruguay, and then Costa Rica.
According to the 2012 GPI, Latin America in general is experiencing increasing levels of peacefulness. 16 out of the 23 countries ranked saw a rise in their index number this year. Globally, the average GPI has also risen slightly. Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada and Japan currently hold the top five positions.