PETALING JAYA: The war in Gaza and Ukraine and domestic violence in North America are among the factors that placed Malaysia among the top 10 most peaceful countries, according to home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Saifuddin said there was cross-border conflict in 92 countries, the highest number since the Global Peace Index (GPI) was first introduced.
Malaysia climbed nine spots in the GPI and is currently ranked 10th among the safest countries in the world, up from 19th last year. Singapore occupies the fifth spot.
Malaysia was also ranked third-safest country in the Asia-Pacific, ahead of Japan and Indonesia, which ranked fourth and 10th respectively.
The peace index is a report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, based in Australia. It covers 163 independent states and territories and measures the relative peacefulness of states and regions.