Latest news with #GlobalPeaceIndex
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These Countries Were Just Named Safer for Retirees Than the U.S.
A new ranking from International Living is highlighting the safest places for retirees to live abroad. To create the report, experts at International Living combined scores from its Global Retirement Index and its Global Peace Index. Destinations such as Portugal, Malaysia, and Costa Rica all made the 2025 deserves to feel relaxed, happy, and, most importantly, safe in their retirement years. After all, you've spent a lifetime working and saving, so now is your time to kick back and relax. And the experts at International Living made a new list to help you do just that. In May, the pros at International Living, which helps expats live their best lives all over the world, released their list of the safest places to retire in 2025. As the team shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure, the list is not ranked in any particular order, it simply presents the destinations that all performed well based on their analysis. As for how they came up with the list, International Living noted it created a combined score from its annual Global Retirement Index and the Global Peace Index to find the most peaceful places to retire. "When readers ask about safety abroad, the answer is almost always 'yes, it's safe'—if you choose the right place," Jennifer Stevens, the executive editor of International Living, shared. And it's certainly a list you can trust, as it also includes plenty of hands-on, lived-in experience. "Our international correspondents and regular contributors live in and regularly visit the places we recommend,' says Stevens. "If we don't feel a place is safe for a 'regular person' to go about their 'regular life' day-to-day, then we don't recommend that place.' Perhaps most interestingly of all, every single one of these destinations ranks (much) higher than the U.S. in the Global Peace Index, which ranked all the way down at No. 132 in the 2024 rankings. As for a few key spots that made International Living's list, unsurprisingly to me, Portugal made the list thanks to its place at No. 7 on the Global Peace Index list and No. 2 on International Living's Global Retirement Index. 'Violent crime is virtually unheard of,' Terry Coles, who has lived in Portugal for seven years, shared in International Living's report, a claim I can attest to as well as an immigrant here myself. 'There's a sense of security here that wraps around you like a warm blanket—steady, comforting, and always present.' Portugal's calm atmosphere and inclusive culture make it a reassuring haven for retirees. Also making its way to the list is Malaysia, which clocks in at No. 10 on the Global Peace Index list and No. 7 on International Living's Global Retirement Index. 'After 16 years in Malaysia, I can say this with confidence: I've never felt safer,' Keith Hockton, an expat living in Malaysia, noted. With a peaceful, multicultural society and low petty crime, 'safety here isn't about high fences or patrols. It's about cultural norms.' Most expats live worry-free lives in places like Penang and Langkawi. Costa Rica, another hot spot for retirement, also appears on this list. It holds a bit of a lower position on the Global Peace Index list at No. 38, but also holds the No. 3 spot on the Global Retirement Index, giving it an edge. 'I've never questioned my choice to raise my two children in Costa Rica,' Bekah Bottone, a resident since 2013, added. "I'm thankful my children have grown up on the beach, immersed in nature's playground. Life here is lived outdoors—relaxed, joyful, and connected to the environment.' Other key destinations include Ireland, No. 2 on the Global Peace Index and No. 15 on the Global Retirement Index; Vietnam, No. 41 on the Global Peace Index and No. 16 on the Global Retirement Index; and Uruguay, No. 52 on the Global Peace Index and No. 14 on the Global Retirement Index. See the full list and all the local insights at Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
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Travel + Leisure
5 days ago
- Health
- Travel + Leisure
These Countries Were Just Named Safer for Retirees Than the U.S.
Everyone deserves to feel relaxed, happy, and, most importantly, safe in their retirement years. After all, you've spent a lifetime working and saving, so now is your time to kick back and relax. And the experts at International Living made a new list to help you do just that. In May, the pros at International Living, which helps expats live their best lives all over the world, released their list of the safest places to retire in 2025. As the team shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure , the list is not ranked in any particular order, it simply presents the destinations that all performed well based on their analysis. As for how they came up with the list, International Living noted it created a combined score from its annual Global Retirement Index and the Global Peace Index to find the most peaceful places to retire. "When readers ask about safety abroad, the answer is almost always 'yes, it's safe'—if you choose the right place," Jennifer Stevens, the executive editor of International Living, shared. And it's certainly a list you can trust, as it also includes plenty of hands-on, lived-in experience. "Our international correspondents and regular contributors live in and regularly visit the places we recommend,' says Stevens. "If we don't feel a place is safe for a 'regular person' to go about their 'regular life' day-to-day, then we don't recommend that place.' Perhaps most interestingly of all, every single one of these destinations ranks (much) higher than the U.S. in the Global Peace Index, which ranked all the way down at No. 132 in the 2024 rankings. As for a few key spots that made International Living's list, unsurprisingly to me, Portugal made the list thanks to its place at No. 7 on the Global Peace Index list and No. 2 on International Living's Global Retirement Index. 'Violent crime is virtually unheard of,' Terry Coles, who has lived in Portugal for seven years, shared in International Living's report, a claim I can attest to as well as an immigrant here myself. 'There's a sense of security here that wraps around you like a warm blanket—steady, comforting, and always present.' Portugal's calm atmosphere and inclusive culture make it a reassuring haven for retirees. Also making its way to the list is Malaysia, which clocks in at No. 10 on the Global Peace Index list and No. 7 on International Living's Global Retirement Index. 'After 16 years in Malaysia, I can say this with confidence: I've never felt safer,' Keith Hockton, an expat living in Malaysia, noted. With a peaceful, multicultural society and low petty crime, 'safety here isn't about high fences or patrols. It's about cultural norms.' Most expats live worry-free lives in places like Penang and Langkawi. Costa Rica, another hot spot for retirement, also appears on this list. It holds a bit of a lower position on the Global Peace Index list at No. 38, but also holds the No. 3 spot on the Global Retirement Index, giving it an edge. 'I've never questioned my choice to raise my two children in Costa Rica,' Bekah Bottone, a resident since 2013, added. "I'm thankful my children have grown up on the beach, immersed in nature's playground. Life here is lived outdoors—relaxed, joyful, and connected to the environment.' Other key destinations include Ireland, No. 2 on the Global Peace Index and No. 15 on the Global Retirement Index; Vietnam, No. 41 on the Global Peace Index and No. 16 on the Global Retirement Index; and Uruguay, No. 52 on the Global Peace Index and No. 14 on the Global Retirement Index. See the full list and all the local insights at
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
World most violent it has been for decades
Violence is more widespread today than it has been in decades, with armed conflict touching every major region, according to data analysed by The Telegraph. Last year, varying levels of conflict were reported across at least 50 different countries, from the civil war in Myanmar to extreme violence between drug cartels in Mexico, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). Experts predict that the trend will probably continue throughout 2025 and beyond. Across the 50 countries, there were at least 56 active conflicts – one of the largest quantities since 1946 – 'with fewer conflicts being resolved, either militarily or through peace agreements', the Global Peace Index estimated. 'The level of violence happening is certainly at one of its highs since the Second World War,' said Clionadh Raleigh, the founder and director of ACLED. The only year to exceed 56 was 2023, which recorded 59 armed conflicts, according to certain estimates. 'More organised violence is happening in more places – leading us to consider that we are now in a more violent time,' said Ms Raleigh. Experts estimate that at least one in every six people is exposed to some level of conflict. This conflict is not only spread out over a larger area, but has become more deadly and more complex, according to The Telegraph's analysis of data from ACLED and the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme. Between 2010 and 2019, the global death toll resulting from armed conflict was more than 953,000. In only half the time, between 2020 and the end of 2024, the number of fatalities has reached nearly 10.5 million. The increase can largely be attributed to the eruption of three major conflicts – the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the Israel-Hamas War, which began in 2023. These conflicts were responsible for more than half the fatalities recorded in 2024. Since 2021, the annual number of deaths from armed conflict has hovered about 200,000, peaking at more than 310,000 in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The only other instance in recent history when the global death toll exceeded 200,000 was at the peak of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, when more than 800,000 people were killed in one year. The number of deaths dropped slightly in 2023, which can largely be attributed to the end of the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, which accounted for 60 per cent of the battle-related deaths in 2021 and 2022. According to The Telegraph's analysis, the death toll from conflict was most widespread in 2024, meaning every region of the world had a comparable share of deaths resulting from armed conflict – with no single region dominating. Deaths resulting from conflicts in Europe – largely owing to the war in Ukraine – made up 33 per cent of the total. Fatalities from armed conflict in Africa made up 27 per cent and wars in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza as well as the Sudanese civil war, accounted for 19 per cent. Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Africa (excluding 1994) all recorded higher average death tolls over the past five years than at any other point since 1989, when UCDP started recording data. The only region where this has not been the case is the Middle East, which recorded higher death tolls between 2014 and 2019 during the peak of the Syrian civil war. Although the death toll in the Middle East has been rising because of the war in Gaza, experts don't expect it to exceed the scale it was at 10 years ago. While death toll is an important metric in understanding the severity of a conflict, it does not tell the whole story. Ms Raleigh explained that ACLED's data analysis included other factors, such as dispersion, impact on civilians and fragmentation, which could inform the severity of a crisis. For example, while Ukraine recorded the most conflict-related deaths at more than 67,000 in 2024, it was ranked 14th on ACLED's index. Ms Raleigh said that this largely came down to the different groups involved in the war. 'It's not at all a fragmented war – very few classic interstate wars are fragmented,' she said, referring to the number of actors involved in the conflict. However, in other conflicts, such as in Myanmar – which was ranked second on ACLED's index despite having a lower death toll than Ukraine – there were hundreds of armed groups engaged in dozens of different battles. 'In places like Myanmar, there are 50 new groups that appear every week while others fall out and others reassemble, there's a constant churn,' said Ms Raleigh, adding that the more groups involved, the harder it could be to reach a resolution. A conservative estimate puts the number of new armed groups in Myanmar, previously known as Burma, close to 3,000 since 2021, though not all remain operational. This figure doesn't include the groups that existed before the coup and have been fighting the central military as well as each other on and off for decades. The only place to exceed Myanmar on the index was Gaza, which ACLED reported to be the 'most dangerous and violent place in the world in 2024'. More than 80 per cent of the Palestinian population was exposed to conflict last year and at least 35,000 fatalities were recorded as Israel continued its campaign in Gaza following the attack by Hamas on Oct 7 the previous year. ACLED is generally seen as the leading source for conflict data, but other organisations have their own methods of evaluating conflict and ranking countries. The Global Peace Index (GPI), which categorises nations in reverse order – from most to least peaceful – ranked the Palestinian territories as 145th (19th place) and Myanmar as 148th (16th). Instead, Yemen topped the list as the 'the least peaceful country in the world' in 2024, which GPI attributed to the internal strife exacerbated by the Israel-Hamas War – specifically attacks from the Yemen-based Houthis against Israeli targets, which prompted retaliatory missile, drone and air strikes from the US and UK. Another metric used to analyse conflict is the impact on civilians, both in terms of the number of civilians killed as well as the number whose quality of life is affected. Siri Aas Rustad, the research director at Peace Research Institute Oslo, said: 'Most people who are affected by conflict are not killed. 'They lose health facilities, they lose schooling, they live in fear, they suffer food insecurity,' she said, noting that this figure was also trending upward at present. 'The share of people living in conflict has increased substantially and is on the rise since the 1990s. It has doubled from 1990 until now.' Ms Rustad explained that to understand the rate of conflict today it was important to look back at the early 2000s, which were a 'very peaceful period'. She said: 'In that period ,the UN worked much better, relationships between states were much better, Russia was not as powerful and expansive as it is now, the US had a different administration so it was easier for the global community to work together.' Ms Rustad also noted that reporting abilities had improved in the past 25 years, which meant that more conflict was being recorded than it may have been previously. Conflict scholars have also recently been watching the exchanges between India and Pakistan, which began in late April with an attack in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. However, a ceasefire set on May 12 appears to be holding. While less than halfway through the year, experts expect that the levels of violence will remain high through 2025, potentially even increasing by 20 per cent, according to ACLED's estimates. Based on previous trends, Ms Rustad predicted that the world was 'heading towards more violence', but that eventually the tide would turn. 'We'll probably see a sustained high level for several years – whether that's two years or five years is hard to say, but it will probably go down,' she said. 'All conflicts end, it just takes time. Think of it in terms of cycles and right now we're in a bad cycle.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
World most violent it has been in decades
Violence is more widespread today than it has been in decades, with armed conflict touching every major region, according to data analysed by The Telegraph. Last year, varying levels of conflict were reported across at least 50 different countries, from the civil war in Myanmar to extreme violence between drug cartels in Mexico, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). Experts predict that the trend will probably continue throughout 2025 and beyond. Across the 50 countries, there were at least 56 active conflicts – one of the largest quantities since 1946 – 'with fewer conflicts being resolved, either militarily or through peace agreements', the Global Peace Index estimated. 'The level of violence happening is certainly at one of its highs since the Second World War,' said Clionadh Raleigh, the founder and director of ACLED. The only year to exceed 56 was 2023, which recorded 59 armed conflicts, according to certain estimates.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Malaysia ranks 10th most peaceful in the world
MALAYSIA has earned global recognition as one of the most peaceful nations in the world, securing the 10th spot in the Global Peace Index 2024 & World Risk Report. Within Asia, Malaysia is now ranked the second most peaceful country, trailing just behind Singapore. The announcement was shared by Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri bin Abu Bakar, in a Facebook post yesterday, where he applauded the achievement and extended congratulations to the nation. ALSO READ: Malaysia in 22nd place as smartest country in the world, Singapore in top five 'Congratulations! This is a truly proud achievement for Malaysia. 'We have been ranked among the top 10 safest countries in the world according to the Global Peace Index 2024, and second in Asia after Singapore,' he wrote. 'This accomplishment reflects the continuous efforts by the Government and all Malaysians in maintaining peace, safety, and national stability. 'It also shows the spirit of cooperation, tolerance, and unity demonstrated by all levels of society. May this achievement serve as motivation to continue preserving peace and harmony in our country,' he highlighted. Other countries in the Global Peace Index Top 20 include Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, and Japan — highlighting Malaysia's strong global standing in peace and safety. Malaysians in the comments were definitely beaming with pride. One user called Adrian Lim commented: 'When you take out the smaller countries with under 10 million people, Malaysia ranks number 2 in the world for peace, second only to Canada. 'Most of the other countries on the list are racially homogeneous, with one dominant race and religion, while Malaysia is a multiracial society. 'Well done, Malaysians,' he wrote. Meanwhile, Fathi Zohri was baffled that Japan was placed 17th, stating, 'Japan ranked lower? Impossible!'
