Denmark and Norway honored among most peaceful nations in the world

Denmark and Norway were among the nations honored at the recent Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations, held in Washington, DC, November 1-3, 2009. Eighteen countries from nine global regions were invited to attend the event, which was sponsored by the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center and the Alliance for Peacebuilding.

The countries represented were the two most peaceful nations from each region, as ranked by the Global Peace Index (GPI), described on the Symposium website as "the first index to rank countries based on their peacefulness and identify some of the key drivers of peace." The GPI ranked 144 countries based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators, including "military spending, organized conflict, access to small arms, relations with neighboring countries and respect for human rights, among others. The GPI also incorporates a thorough analysis of correlations between peacefulness and factors such as education levels, prosperity, corruption, and well functioning government."

Though only the top two countries from each region were invited to the Symposium, all five of the Nordic countries ranked in the world's top 10 most peaceful nations. Denmark and Norway tied for second place (behind New Zealand), with Iceland right behind in fourth place, Sweden in sixth, and Finland tied for ninth place with Slovenia.

Click here to view the full rankings. Details for each country can be viewed by clicking on the country name.