Looks like trouble: Singapore violence cost $22.8b in 2013

That’s more than $4k per person.

Even a small amount of violence can be costly. This was revealed by the 2014 Global Peace Index (GPI), where Singapore was ranked 25 out of 162 countries, sliding by six spots as compared to last year’s results.

According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, the economic impact of containing and dealing with the consequences of Singapore’s levels of violence was estimated to cost the national economy $22.8b (US$18.2) in 2013. This is equivalent to 5.4% of Singapore’s GDP, or $4287 (US$3420) per person.

When it comes to GPI indicators, Singapore received low marks for perceived criminality in society (3.0/5), security officers and police (4.0/5), and weapons imports (5.0/5).

“With an estimated spend of U$3,400 per capita, Singapore's per capita cost of violence containment spend is the third highest in the world,” said Steve Killelea, founder and Executive Chairman of the IEP.

Here’s more from IEP:

Globally, terrorist activity, the number of conflicts fought, and the number of refugees and displaced persons were the key contributors to the continuing deterioration in worldwide peacefulness last year.

This confirms a seven year gradual, but significant downward slide, which overturns a 60-year trend of increasing global peacefulness dating back to the end of the Second World War.

The economic impact of containing and dealing with the consequences of global violence last year was estimated to be US$9.8 trillion, according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) released today. This is equivalent to 11.3% of global GDP – equal to twice the size of the 54 countries in the African economy.

The most peaceful region of the world continues to be Europe while the least peaceful region is South Asia. Afghanistan has been displaced at the bottom of the index by Syria due to a slight improvement in its peace while Syria continued to deteriorate.

South Sudan experienced the largest drop in the index this year falling to 160th and now ranking as the third least peaceful country. Major deteriorations also occurred in Egypt, Ukraine and Central African Republic.