South Africa classified as one of the most dangerous countries in the world

Is South Africa one of the most dangerous and violent countries on earth? As a South African, I am sure you can answer that question. But we went digging and according to the 2019 Global Peace Index, it seems South Africa needs a hug and to calm down.

The Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness.

This index is rather thorough and covers 97% of the world’s population 23 qualitative and quantitive indicators from reputable sources. Sounds legit.

The state of peace in an area is determined using three thematic domains, which are:

The level of a society’s safety and security. The extent of domestic and international conflict The degree of militarization

So, using this formula, where does South Africa stand among the 163 areas ranked in the GPI?

South Africa scraps in at a dismal 127th place. Read on it gets better.

So how low are we on the list you ask? Well, let’s just say war-torn Angola clinches 77th position and everyone’s example of a hardcore place, Rwanda takes 79th on the list. Now hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, Haiti also ranks as a more peaceful country than South Africa, coming in 87th place.

While this might seem horrific to many, South Africa ranks higher than the “all perfect” USA which sits at a terrible 128th place on the list and our fellow African country to the north, Zimbabwe takes the 132nd position followed by Israel which comes in at 146th place.

But why is South Africa considered one of the most dangerous and violent countries in the world?

It is believed the recent political killings in Kwa­Zulu-Natal and service delivery protests are major contributing factors to South Africa sliding down the list.

With South Africa classified as one of the least safe countries in the world, which countries are considered the safest?

Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal and Austria take the four top spots, with even the up and coming Czech Republic making it to the top 10.