Index ranks U.S. more violent than Libya

The United States is ranked as a lot more violent than Nicaragua and Libya, according to the Global Peace Index released by Britain's Economist Intelligence Unit.

The index ranks 140 countries according to their relative states of peace, based on factors such as military expenditure and respect for human rights. The idea for the index came from Steve Killelea, an Australian businessman and philanthropist who wanted to identify just what creates a peaceful country. He asked the Economist Intelligence Unit to look at a range of variables, from levels of homicides per 100,000 people to corruption and access to primary education.

"The U.S. does so badly because has the highest proportion of jailed people in the world. And it has high levels of homicide and high potential for terrorist attacks," Killelea told The Associated Press. "Its overall score is a reflection of that. The index is not making any moral statements by the ranking."

MOST PEACEFUL COUNTRIES

1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Norway
4. New Zealand
5. Japan
6. Ireland
7. Portugal
8. Finland
9. Luxembourg
10. Austria