Oman ranks 5th most peaceful country in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to a new study.

The Sultanate advanced by four spots from last year to rank 70th out of 163 countries on the eleventh edition of the World Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). 

Oman follows Qatar at number one in the region, with Kuwait, UAE, 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 every year since 2008.

The country is followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark as the top five.

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 in the region, such as Oman, have bucked 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.

Source: Timesofoman