One of the greatest desires of people is for them to be able to feel contentment in their lives, fulfillment in their dreams, and joy in their families. Peace is what drives man to put himself in a state of sacrifice to attain his ultimate goal, which is to experience a life of perfection, where there is no hate, no strife, and no chaos. However, just recently, we have heard of a nation declaring a “state of war” to another due to misunderstandings and confusion. While everyone else is focused on the war, have you ever wondered what are the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world and what it’s like to live in such a place? Peek on this list and you will realize that peace is not a distant national ambition.

10. Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the countries in the world that uses “honesty shops” in order to provide people the chance to exchange goods with money even without the assistance of cashier or store clerks. It is also the same country where you could actually leave your door wide open and not expecting that anyone would pilfer your stuff or take opportunity of the occasion. But the nation is ranked on the 10^th spot as its military force is still intact and active, although there are reports that the said national power has been contracted. Another reason of the ranking is due to the unrest of the people in respect to currencies where the value of their money and their cost of living is compromised.

9. Finland

Aside from being famous for its Nokia international headquarters, Finland is known to be a place where living conditions are right; provided that you are not experiencing financial unrest due to huge taxes and costly living standards. But other than this, Finland is a peaceful place where crimes are low and violence is very rare. Despite of the said remarks however, it is on the 9^th spot for the number of prisoners being detained, which is 59 per 100,000 people, including homicides that are higher than what is tallied and noted against other nearby countries. They are also not into war and even their military expenses are kept to a minimum, showing that the government is more focused on improving the lives of the people, rather than increasing its military strength.

8. Slovenia

Even if politics was active in Slovenia back in September 2011, the masses are actually satisfied with what’s happening, as voters, even those who have voted for the opposing party, have agreed to make things peaceful, keeping political unrest to a minimum. You can rarely hear of reports about terrorist attacks, mass killings, and other crimes, as there are only a few who engages in such activities. In fact, such horrendous acts are seldom to almost nothing. Military spending is also very low where the government only spends 1.4% of its GDP. They don’t even have their own fighter planes and they are depending on the assistance of Italy for that matter.

7. Ireland

Although Ireland is a serene place in general, it was placed in the 7^th rank for its political imbalance, which was experienced back in 2011. In fact, there have been protests and discord at the turn of the new leadership, where both economical and political spheres have been compromised. However, as the new government welcomed change together with its subjects, political unrest has ceased and everyone joined together, hoping for improvement and change for the better. Demonstrations have decreased, violence was kept down, and the trust of the people with each other has strengthened. Despite of such problems, Ireland did not see the need of increasing its military power, which even cut costs amounting to $147 million in over 3 years.

6. Austria

Famous in history as being the “cradle of the civilization of music”, Austria gives a perfect sense of what it is like to live in harmony with the society and the government. There are rarely events of chaos in the country, which is why their police force is kept to a tolerable few. Even though there have been news that the numbers have increased, the figures are still taken to be the smallest in the world. Even the society does not feel troubled as safety and security is not too stiff, knowing that crime rates are noted to be one of the lowest everywhere.

5. Japan

Although Japan has a history of being one of the perpetrators in the last World War, it does not that they ended up as chaos-loving people. In fact, they have done many things in the world in order to make it a better place, particularly in establishing ties with the rest of the nations through harnessing the power of technology. Their people are also known for being disciplined, industrious, courteous, and generally happy, which makes the Land of the Rising Sun a perfect place to stay, and easy to adapt to. However, they did not end in the top 3 due to issues of increasing their military power as provoked by nearby countries like North Korea and China, which has a past of being dictators and conquerors.

4. Canada

Canada has more members of the police force than Ireland, specifically 203 police officers in every 100,000 people, something that is quite high in number. Despite of the said figures, they do not count much in relation to security and safety as strictness in implementing laws and policies are not harsh where the people are very disciplined and civilized in understanding and obeying the rules. Instead, the police force is used to make sure that apprehenders and crooks are caught and imprisoned, serving sentences via the due process of the law. What really boosted them to higher peace index ranks is the fact that the country is actively participating in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force whether in sending troops to Afghanistan or in any other war-driven nation.

3. New Zealand

Crimes are very low in New Zealand, not only in terms of committed crimes in general, but even in the number of detaining prisoners, which is only in the ratio of about 199 to 100,000. While this may be higher than certain countries, this is compensated with the funds being allotted by the government to its military forces, which is only 1% of its total GDP. And to top it off, these funds are not even allotted for increasing military strength, but is more on improving its rescue and assistance maneuvers, including the purchasing of equipments and vehicles for better civilian support. Living conditions are also great as people are very easy to get along with, regardless of one’s race and cultural preference. Homicides are also rare, which makes New Zealand a safe place to live in.

2. Denmark

The peace index of Denmark places it as second best in this list as its cost budget allocation for military operations is more on spending for armaments and people, rather than machines and vehicles. In fact, Denmark has decreased its number of fighter planes in order to keep up with the cost of maintaining everything, while making sure that quality is never compromised in joining with NATO and its allies on various peace missions. Homicides, violence cases, and other crimes are rated at a low 79 for every 100,000 people. The government also does not have issues both internally with its subjects, and externally, when establishing relationships with other nearby countries.

1. Iceland

Iceland may be noted as a winter wonderland for many and it certainly is not a cold place to begin with. Consider the fact that this is the most peaceful place in the world, with everything in accordance to what is demanded in the General Peace Index. Crime rate is so low that only 49 of 100,000 has been recorded, its military force is considered essential yet basic in terms of power, and its 1.1% GDP allotted for the military is more on utilization of its forces with NATO peace missions, especially noted with what happened in Afghanistan. Not only is the people in harmony with everything that exists in the government, but even the financial aspect of the country is healthy and well.