Institute for Economics and Peace

The latest Global Peace Index published by the International Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent think tank that aims to measure peace and stability in the world, says the world was a slightly more peaceful place last year.

Vision of Humanity - Measuring peace in a complex world: the 2018 Global Peace Index shows the world is less peaceful today than at any time in the last decade.

Between 2002 and the end of 2016, eight of the world's nine regions experienced an increase in terrorist activity, according to the 2017 Global Terrorism Index report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

North America was the only region to see a decline.

The victims of terrorist attacks in western countries increased by 650% in 2015 even though there was a worldwide decrease of 10% , according to the 2016 Global Terrorism Index report.

The cost of violence around the world reached a record $14.3 trillion in 2014, equivalent to the combined economies of Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, a global security report said on June 17.