India is placed at 128 in a survey of 149 countries in the global peace index – a ranking of the most peaceful nations of the world. Compared to the survey in 2009, India's ranking has slipped by seven positions – largely due to increase in number of deaths from organised conflicts, says the report prepared by global think tank on peace – Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP).

However, India is ranked better than its neighbour – Pakistan, which finds its place at 145 spot. The report said, “A sharp rise in Pakistan’s GPI indicator of the number of people killed in internal conflict and upward shifts in scores for the potential of terrorist acts, the likelihood of violent demonstrations and the homicide rate underline the extent to which the country became embroiled in violence that verged on civil war in 2009.”  

The findings were based on the relationship between economic development, business and peace, political stability, corruption, education, human rights, criminality and so on using 23 indicators.

New Zealand topped the peace index as being the most peaceful country while Iraq got the distinction of least peaceful nation.

The IEP concluded that the world has become less peaceful over the last year, despite a drop in the number of armed conflicts.

Read the report