Costa Rica: peaceful

For the third consecutive year, Costa Rica is the most peaceful country in Central America and the Caribbean, according to the global index published last week by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Costa Rica is ranked 42d in the world, dropping two places from its position last year.

Panama is second in the region and 57th globally.

Iceland is first in the world, while Syria is last in a list of 162 countries.

The index measures factors such as homicides, terrorism, political stability, and military spending as a percentage of the value of national production (figures in parentheses refer to the position of each Central American country in the world index).

1. Costa Rica (42)
2. Panama (57)
3. Nicaragua (58)
4. Guatemala (115)
5. El Salvador (116)
6. Honduras (117)