According to the ranking by the Institute of Economics and Peace, Portugal appears in seventh position as the most peaceful country in the world, with 1,372 points in a ranking in which the lowest score, that is, the best, is led by Iceland with 1,112.
In the index prepared annually by the Institute of Economics and Peace in collaboration with the United Nations, Portugal ranks 114th in the economic impact of violence, the costs representing around 3% of Portuguese GDP.
In the eighteenth edition of the Global Peace Index 2024, the podium of the list of most peaceful countries is occupied by Iceland, Ireland, and Austria, with Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo at the bottom of the table.
Produced by the international think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace, the report presents the most comprehensive analysis to date of peace, economic value, trends, and ways to develop peaceful societies, covering 99.7% of the world's population through analysis of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators. These indicators are grouped into three key domains: Ongoing Conflicts, Safety and Security, and Militarisation.
The Global Peace Index 2024 indicates that there are now 56 conflicts globally, the highest number since World War II.
I see the UK is only ranked 34th!
By Jackie Homewood from Other on 12 Jun 2024, 11:12
If those figures are being registered by the same type of people I talked to in de municipal or other government agencies. Then I understand the low numbers. It is just structural underreporting.
By Mart from Other on 12 Jun 2024, 16:40
Underreporting, guys:
Buffer #1 to accurate statistics-gathering: A populace who, quite justifiably, have little confidence in the police that they will do the slightest to follow up on the crime you've reported. This is bigger issue than some would presume. Every time I've reported a crime--a few quite serious--I've been dismissed as naïve by a not-insignificant amount of my Portuguese friends. "It's a waste of time," they say.
Buffer #2: Indifferent police. Obviously, this is the cause for #1, but often when you do report a crime, that crime is not registered, or is, for the sake of convenience, registered improperly. Want to report getting punched in the head 4o times by two assailants simply because you're English (their stated reason), well, that will be written down in the report as a single punch and will not be recorded as one of those pesky hate crimes, something which requires a lot more work. (Odd how Portugal went five years without experiencing a single hate crime, when I know of three people, four including myself, who have been clear, unambiguous victims of such a thing.)
Buffer #3: The police actually passing what data they do have to Portuguese authorities in a good-faith manner.
Buffer #4: The Portuguese authorities passing that data along to international entities in a good-faith manner.
Come on. Portugal isn't a crime-ridden cesspool, but it, or at least its big cities, are not places where you want to be walking alone at night. I'd say it's fairly average as far as safety goes. Not bad, but not the heaven, or at least haven, some would like you to believe.
By Horatio from Lisbon on 13 Jun 2024, 19:48
I've been here for 7 years and have never witnessed any violence during my time. I might have been lucky, but compared to my experience in Western Australia, where violence was quite common among the young and the less fortunate, the incidence of violence in Portugal seems quite low based on my experience. But then again, I could have been lucky.
By DR from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2024, 04:37