Africa’s 10 most peacful countries, Mauritius leads the pack – 2021 Peace Index Report

The island nation ranked first on the continent and 28th most peaceful country in the world according to a ranking of 163 nations.

Mauritius garnered 1.592 overall score which was 10 steps away from that of Africa’s second most peaceful country, Ghana, which ranked 378th on global ladder with 1.712 overall score.

Completing the top five most peaceful nations in sub-Saharan Africa are Botswana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

The sixth to tenth slots are occupied by Senegal, Tanzania, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea and Namibia respectively.

It means West Africa has dominated the top 10 countries with four countries in the top ranks – Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal.

The GPI is an annual report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

It measures the state of peace in countries whiles assessing the countries in three domains: the level of societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarisation.

Some key development indicators about Mauritius
Mauritius is the only African country to be in the “very high” category on the Human Development Index.

According to the World Bank, the country is classified as a high-income economy.

Mauritius is also ranked as the most competitive, and one of the most developed economies in the African region.

The country is a welfare state where government provides free universal health care, free education up through the tertiary level and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled.

In 2019 and 2020, Mauritius was ranked the most peaceful African country by the Global Peace Index.

About the 2021 GPI

The 15th edition of the GPI also measured the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on peace.

This looked especially at the impact of the pandemic, and in particular, how its economic consequences will increase the risk of severe deteriorations in peace over the next few years.

Civil unrest rose 10 per cent globally, driven by the coronavirus pandemic, the GPI report added.

There were 14,871 violent demonstrations, protests and riots recorded globally in 2020.

The report said COVID-19 was a “multiplying force” in future political instability and civil unrest.

It added the level of this unrest going forward is likely to hinge on the speed and effectiveness of economic recovery. Countries with less debt and higher levels of positive peace were more likely to recover faster.