Ghana is the most peaceful country in Africa and the 40th in the world, according to the Global Peace Index(GPI) released by Britain's Economist Intelligence Unit. Ghana ranked above United Kingdom(ranked 49), the United States (97th), Russia(131st) and China (67th). Iceland was the most peaceful followed by Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and Japan. On the opposite end of the spectrum, after Iraq came Sudan, Afghanistan, Israel and Chad. Nations with major improvements in their rankings were Angola, Indonesia, India and Uzbekistan, while Kenya had the biggest slump due to its recent presidential election which ended in ethnic cleansing. The index ranks 140 countries on factors such as military expenditure and respect for human rights. "It is clear that small, stable and democratic countries are the most peaceful," the report said. The report said Ghana had only few internal conflicts and had generally good relations with neighbouring countries. Level of violent crime in Ghana is pretty low, but there is a high likelihood of violent demonstrations. The number of jailed population per 100,000 is 1,195. Ghana's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP is low, and notably lower than most of the other African countries surveyed, the report said. The idea for the index came from Steve Killelea, an Australian businessman and philanthropist who wanted to identify just what creates a peaceful country. "The US 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." US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the America's ranking reflects its role as a protector of democracy. The top 10 most peaceful countries: 1. Iceland 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. New Zealand 5. Japan. 6. Ireland 7. Portugal 8. Finland 9. Luxembourg 10. Austria Source: GHP