It may have been obvious that Bulgaria was less peaceful than Iceland but more peaceful than Iraq. Thanks to the release of the newest Global Peace Index, we now know by just how much.

According to the Global Peace Index, Bulgaria ranks 57th out of 140 countries in peacefulness. Last year, in the first such index, it was 54th out of 121. It scored 1.903, compared to the 1.176 that made Iceland the most peaceful country in the world, and 3.514 that confirmed Iraq as, well, the least peaceful.

Bulgaria just pipped Tanzania but was calculated to be less peaceful than Argentina.

The compilers of the index say that the figure for each country is compiled on the basis of “24 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which combine internal and external factors ranging from a nation's level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights”.

These indicators were selected by an international panel of academics, business people, philanthropists and peace institutions, the index’s website says. The GPI is collated and calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The GPI was founded by Steve Killelea, an Australian international technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. “It forms part of the Institute for Economics and Peace, a new global think tank dedicated to the research and education of the relationship between economics, business and peace,” according to the website.

“The concept of peace is notoriously difficult to define,” the website admits.

However, some figures about Bulgaria stand out. In the category “hostility to foreigners”, Bulgaria scores zero, although under another category in the culture section, “willingness to fight”, Bulgarians rank three out of five. Presumably, foreigners should have nothing to worry about although there is some chance of Bulgarians engaging each other in fisticuffs.

For the record, the next two best-ranked countries in the peacefulness stakes were Denmark and Norway. A change from the 2007 rankings, in which Norway was in first place, followed by New Zealand and Denmark.

Next from bottom in the peacefulness stakes were Somalia, penultimate, and Sudan.

For more details, if you have a quiet moment to read the full report, visit visionofhumanity.org.