New Zealand has been named the most peaceful country on earth, according to a report released on Wednesday.
New Zealand scored top position thanks to its relatively low rate of violence, decrease in military spending and the election of a conservative coalition government last year, according to the latest Global Peace Index, an annual ranking of 144 nations on the basis of how peaceful they are.
"The center-right National Party has a strong popular mandate and a robust parliamentary majority by New Zealand's standards, putting the new Prime Minister, John Key, in a good position to push through his agenda," said the report.
New Zealand also got top marks for its homicide rate and the level of respect for human rights.
It replaces Iceland, which has seen an increase in violence and violent demonstrations following the banking collapse that engulfed its economy in September.
Nordic nations dominated the top of the chart, with Denmark, Norway and Iceland coming second, third and fourth, followed by Austria and Sweden.
Securely nailed to the bottom of the list was Iraq, which sits below Afghanistan, Somalia and Israel.