Afghanistan falls to 157th in global positive peace index
A new report from the Institute for Economics and Peace says Afghanistan has ranked 157th out of 163 countries in the Positive Peace Index, making it the seventh lowest-ranked country. Afghanistan scored 4.19 out of 5 in the index.
According to the report, Afghanistan is the only South Asian country to have gone backwards in the index between 2015 and 2024. The country’s score stood at 4.055 in 2015, but had risen to 4.19 by 2024, meaning its situation worsened by 3.3% over the period.
The report says the decline is mainly linked to a sharp fall in political freedom and the flow of information. Its findings show press freedom in Afghanistan has fallen by 78.8%, described as the biggest decline in any indicator across the region.
The quality of information also fell by 23.4%, laws supporting equality among different population groups by 25%, and government effectiveness by 13.2%. Socio-economic group-based deprivation also worsened by 20.4%.
The report adds that although press freedom also declined in several other South Asian countries, Afghanistan was the only country whose overall Positive Peace score fell during the period. Over the same time, South Asia as a whole recorded an average improvement of 2.9%, with Sri Lanka improving by 6.3% and India by 6%.
After Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Somalia occupy the lowest positions in the table. At the other end, Denmark tops the list with a score of 1.213, while Finland and Sweden rank second and third, respectively.
The Institute for Economics and Peace said Positive Peace is not limited to the absence of war, but measures the structures and conditions that help create and sustain peaceful societies. The index includes, among other things, effective government, the free flow of information, human capital, good relations with neighbours, acceptance of the rights of others and low levels of corruption.
The report is based on an examination of more than 20,000 data sets and indicators across 163 countries, and covers data up to 2024. The Institute for Economics and Peace is an independent, non-profit organisation that also publishes the Global Peace Index, but the Positive Peace Index focuses more on the factors and structures that influence the creation of peace.
