'Warring country' Sweden ..?

Over 200 years of peace but maybe not as peaceful as we sometimes expect. 

  • Sweden has not been in any war since 1814 but how peaceful is it really?

  • Who to believe? Sweden ranks lower than any of its Nordic neighbors in the Global Peace Index made by the American Economist Intelligence Unit in collaboration with IT entrepreneur and peace activist Steve Killelea. Sweden comes in seventh place, behind Denmark, Finland and Norway. New Zealand, Ireland and Japan also beat Sweden.

  • The ultimate peace symbol by Karl Fredrik Reuterswärd photographed in Malmö, Sweden is also on view at the United Nations in New York.

  • The 2018 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which measures the relative position of 163 independent states and territories according to their levels of peacefulness puts Sweden even lower, in 14th place. Then again, while Iceland and Denmark are still among the top peaceful nations Sweden is according to this index ahead of neighboring Finland and Norway (in 15th and 16th place respectively).

  • Then again, Norway that ends up in 16th place in the index by the IEP was by the American Economist Intelligence Unit considered most peaceful of all ... so, indexes and rankings may be indicators to an extent but statistics are often what the Danish cartoonist Poul Strøyer said "... statistics are what lamp posts are for a heavily inebriated person; they illuminate a limited area but are fabulous to hold on to."