The Global Peace Index, GPI, has ranked Nigeria as the 16th least peaceful country in the world in the year 2018.

The report, released yesterday, ranked Nigeria 16 out of a total of 163 countries surveyed.

Iceland is the most peaceful country, closely followed by New Zealand and Austria while Syria is ranked least peaceful, coming after Afghanistan and South Sudan respectively.

In Sub-Sahara Africa, Nigeria is ranked 40 out of 44 countries, with Mauritius topping the list, while South Sudan is ranked least.

According to the report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, IEP, global level of peace has deteriorated by 0.27 per cent in the last year, marking the fourth successive year of deterioration.

It also said that the world is “less peaceful today than at any time in the last decade.”

The report added that 92 countries deteriorated, while only 71 improved. Nigeria is one of such countries, up one place from its 2017 ranking of 149.

It covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from “highly respected sources” to compile the index. These indicators are grouped into three key domains: ‘ongoing conflict’, ‘safety and security’, and ‘militarisation’.

“There’s been a gradual decline in peacefulness over the last decade,” said Steve Killelea, head of IEP.

“The reason for this slow, gradual decline in peacefulness really comes back to the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, and the spillover effects into other areas.”