RANKED: The least peaceful countries in the world

pulse

August 9, 2017 5:07 PM

The 2017 Global Peace Index reveals the most militarized countries in the world.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) test launch.

North Korea — the country that recently said it's considering a plan to fire nuclear-capable missiles at Guam — is one of the least peaceful countries in the world.

That's according to the 2017

14. North Korea

13. Russia

12. Pakistan

11. Democratic Republic of Congo

10. Ukraine

9. Central African Republic

8. Sudan

7. Libya

6. Somalia

5. Yemen

4. South Sudan

3. Iraq

2. Afghanistan

1. Syria

Syria, which ranked as the least peaceful country in 2016 and 2016, is in the middle of a refugee crisis. An estimated 13.5 million Syrian civilians have fled war (and more than 6 million have been internally displaced) since the start of the country's civil war in 2011. It has been ranked amongst the world’s five least peaceful countries since the 2013 Global Peace Index.

Regionally, the Middle East and North Africa remained the least peaceful region in the world in the 2017 index. Over the past year, Syria incurred the largest cost of violence as a percentage of its GDP at 67%. Globally, violence costs 12.6% of the world's GDP.

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