Chile Ranks Most Peaceful Nation in Latin America on Global Peace Index

Chile is the most peaceful country in all of Latin America, according to the latest Global Peace Index created by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
The Index gauges peace with three considerations: the level of safety and security, the extent of domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarization. Chile was ranked 27th in the list, closely followed by Uruguay.
Even so, in the past year, the biggest improvement in peacefulness occurred in the Central American and Caribbean regions, which, despite suffering continuing security issues, saw its top three performers of Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua being characterized by low levels of militarization. Costa Rica in particular has no standing armed forces.
Panama saw the greatest improvement, jumping 24 places in the global rankings, largely due to the decreased cases of violent demonstrations. Some countries, including El Salvador and Honduras, still face significant challenges for peace. Considering the report, peace is returning to the streets of El Salvador, albeit slowly.
Mexico remains at the bottom of the regional ranking, largely due to a rising military and security presence and the increased number of displaced people resulting from the ongoing crackdown on drug lords.
The report highlighted Brazil’s political instability, which increased just months before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, adding that corruption scandals have undermined political stability in country.
Venezuela’s significant social unrest and economic emergency has made the nation even more unstable, while President Nicolas Maduro attempts to boost nationalism amid deep economic and political difficulties.