World economy loses $17.5 trillion as global peace declines for the ninth year

Violence cost the world $17.5 trillion or 12.9% of GDP in 2022, with Ukraine suffering the most from its war. In the ten countries most affected by violence, the economic cost of violence averaged 34% of GDP in 2022, compared to just 2.9% for the ten least affected countries. (Image: Reuters)

The main domains of peacefulness are Ongoing Conflict, Safety and Security, and Militarisation. Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security have worsened, while Militarisation has improved. (Image: Reuters)

The intensity and number of conflicts increased worldwide, both within and between countries. Conflict-related deaths rose by 45%, and political instability worsened in 59 countries. The external conflicts fought and deaths from internal conflict indicators had the largest deterioration, followed by political instability. (Representative image)

All the indicators of Ongoing Conflict have deteriorated, with more countries involved in external conflicts and violent demonstrations. The Middle East was the most affected region until 2015, but other regions have also experienced more conflict since then. (AP photo)

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region recorded the second-largest improvement in peacefulness after North America, but it remained the least peaceful region in the world. It has four of the ten least peaceful countries, including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. Libya, Côte d'Ivoire, and Afghanistan were among the five biggest improvers in peace.  (Representative image)

Europe is still the most peaceful region in the world, with seven of the ten most peaceful countries. However, it deteriorated on all three GPI domains over the past year, as tensions between European countries and Russia continued to grow. Europe is less peaceful now than it was 15 years ago. (Image: Reuters)

A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would cause a global economic loss of $2.7 trillion or 2.8% of GDP in the first year, more than the 2008 crisis. China and Taiwan would bear the brunt of the loss, with their economies shrinking by 7% and 40%, respectively. (Image: Reuters)

Other regions, especially South-East Asia and Oceania, would also suffer significant losses, ranging from 3% to 6% of their GDP. The blockade would disrupt the global trade in computers and electronics, which is dominated by China and Taiwan, with a combined share of 31%. (Representative image)

Taiwan's semiconductor industry, which accounts for 20% of the global capacity and 92% of the advanced logic capacity, would be severely affected, impacting China and other East Asian countries that depend on its imports. (Image Shutterstock)

The indicators of Safety and Security have also deteriorated, with more terrorism impact, political instability, and deaths from internal conflict. However, the homicide rate has improved across most countries. (Image: Reuters)

Peacefulness improved on average for the Militarisation domain but deteriorated in both the Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security domains. Of the 23 GPI indicators, ten recorded an improvement, 11 had a deterioration, and two recorded no change over the past year. The largest improvement occurred on the UN peacekeeping funding indicator, while military expenditure increased mainly due to the Ukraine war. (AP Photo)

The indicators of Militarisation have improved, with fewer armed personnel, military expenditure, and UN peacekeeping funding. However, some Eastern European countries have increased their militarisation due to tensions with Russia. (Image Shutterstock)

Coastal West Africa is an example of a region that has improved its peacefulness, despite the challenges in the neighbouring Sahel region. This region has no recorded deaths from terrorism and low levels of political violence. (Image: Reuters)

Displacement is a major issue affecting many countries, especially those with high levels of conflict. There are 15 countries where at least 5% of the population is displaced, either internally or as refugees. Syria has the highest proportion of displaced people, followed by South Sudan and Ukraine. (AP Photo)