Global Peace Index Ranking 2025, India’s Ranking & Top 10 Peaceful Countries

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June 23, 2025

Global Peace Index Ranking 2025, India’s Ranking & Top 10 Peaceful Countries

Global Peace Index (GPI) serves as the foremost global metric for evaluating the relative position of nations’ peacefulness. In its 19th edition for the year 2025, the GPI continues to offer a critical perspective on international peace, security, and conflict dynamics, encompassing 163 countries and representing 99.7% of the global population.

Global Peace Index 2025 evaluates levels of societal safety, conflict, and militarisation. This reveals a concerning global trend—peacefulness continues to decline amidst growing international tensions and conflicts.

What is Global Peace Index?

The Global Peace Index is an annual report produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) since 2007, a non-profit, non-partisan think tank. It quantifies peace across countries using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators divided into three key domains:

  1. Societal Safety and Security
  2. Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict
  3. Degree of Militarisation

The GPI has become a standard reference for policymakers, researchers, and international institutions aiming to assess and improve national and global stability.

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Global Peace Index 2025
Parameter Details
What is Global Peace Index? A composite index measuring the relative peacefulness of 163 countries using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators across 3 domains.
Published By Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)
Edition 19th Edition (2025)
Total Countries Covered 163
Top Ranked Country (Most Peaceful) Iceland (Rank 1, Score: 1.095)
India’s Rank in 2025 115th (Score: 2.229)
Global Trend in Peacefulness Overall global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.36% from the previous year
Countries Improved in Peacefulness 74 countries
Countries Deteriorated in Peacefulness 87 countries
What is Global Peace Index Score? A numeric score from 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful) based on indicators
Least Peaceful Country Russia (Rank 163, Score: 3.441)
Region with Largest Deterioration South Asia
Economic Cost of Violence (2024) $19.97 trillion (11.6% of global GDP)
Most Deteriorated Indicator External Conflicts Fought
Most Improved Indicator Perceptions of Criminality

Who Published Global Peace Index?

The Global Peace Index is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The IEP’s mission is to create a paradigm shift in the way the world thinks about peace by using data to highlight its social and economic benefits.

Global Peace Index

Source: economicsandpeace

What Determines Global Peace Index?

The GPI incorporates data such as:

  • Number and duration of internal/external conflicts
  • Political instability and perception of criminality
  • Homicide rates and terrorist activities
  • Military expenditure and weapon imports
  • Relations with neighbouring countries

These factors combine to produce a Global Peace Index score, which determines a country’s ranking on the index. A lower score indicates a higher level of peace.

Global Peace Index 2025

The Global Peace Index 2025 highlights the 13th deterioration in global peacefulness in the past 17 years, with 87 countries deteriorating and only 74 improving.

Key Finding

  • The average level of global peacefulness fell by 0.36% in 2025, with many indicators reaching their worst levels since World War II.

There are now 59 active state-based conflicts (the most since WWII) with a staggering 152,000 conflict-related deaths in 2024.

Global Peace Index

Source: visionofhumanity

Global Peace Index 2025 Ranking (Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries)

Despite global instability, several nations maintain high peacefulness levels. The Top 10 most peaceful countries in the world 2025 are:

Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries (As of Global Peace Index Ranking 2025)
Rank Country GPI Score 2025 Region
1 Iceland 1.095 Europe
2 Ireland 1.260 Europe
3 New Zealand 1.282 Oceania
4 Austria 1.294 Europe
5 Switzerland 1.294 Europe
6 Singapore 1.357 Asia
7 Portugal 1.371 Europe
8 Denmark 1.393 Europe
9 Slovenia 1.409 Europe
10 Finland 1.420 Europe

Most Peaceful Country in 2025

Iceland remains the world’s most peaceful country, a position it has held since 2008, reinforcing its commitment to low crime rates, political stability, and minimal militarisation.

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Global Peace Index 2025 (Least Peaceful Countries)

On the opposite end, the global peace index ranking 2025 shows a big decline in the following nations:

Global Peace Index 2025 (Least Peaceful Countries)
Rank Country GPI Score 2025 Region
163 Russia 3.441 Eurasia
162 Ukraine 3.434 Europe
161 Sudan 3.323 Africa
160 Democratic Republic of Congo 3.292 Africa
159 Yemen 3.262 Middle East

Russia ranks last at 163, followed closely by Ukraine at 162, largely due to the ongoing conflict.

Global Peace Index 2025 India Rank

India is ranked 115th with a score of 2.229, improving by 0.58% its position from the previous year. This continues a positive trend, following:

  • 116 in 2024
  • 126 in 2023
  • 139 in 2020
  • 141 in 2019

Despite moderate stability, India continues to face internal and cross-border tensions, as well as challenges related to militarisation and political violence.

Global peace index 2025 India rank reflects concerns around domestic unrest and strained neighbour relations, although there have been improvements in some safety indicators.

Key Observations

  • Global Peace Index 2025 India Rank shows that India is doing better than Bangladesh (123), Pakistan (144), and Afghanistan (158) within the South Asian region.
  • Despite being part of South Asia—the second least peaceful region globally—India has shown notable improvement in nine indicators while remaining stable in nine others.

What is Global Peace Index Score?

Each country’s score is calculated based on the weighted performance across the 23 indicators. Scores range from 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful). Lower scores denote better performance on parameters such as internal stability, safety, and minimal conflict involvement.

Regional Analysis and Trends in GPI 2025

The Global Peace Index 2025 reveals significant disparities in peacefulness across different regions of the world. While some areas maintain a strong commitment to peace and stability, others are witnessing escalating conflicts and increasing political repression. The following regional trends provide a clearer understanding of how peace is evolving globally:

  • Western and Central Europe remains the most peaceful region, though it has experienced a consistent decline over the past four years. Eight of the top ten countries in the GPI 2025 are from this region.
  • Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continues to be the least peaceful region for the tenth consecutive year, marked by ongoing conflict and political instability. Four of the ten lowest-ranked countries on the GPI 2025 are from this region.
  • South Asia experienced the largest regional decline in peacefulness. Notably, Bangladesh saw increasing repression, while Pakistan faced internal unrest and intensified cross-border tensions.
  • South America was the only region to record an overall improvement in peacefulness in 2025. Political changes in countries like Peru and Argentina contributed to this positive shift.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa continues to struggle with protracted conflicts, particularly in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, which are among the ten least peaceful nations.
  • Asia-Pacific showed mixed results: while countries like New Zealand and Singapore remain among the most peaceful, others have seen minor deteriorations due to geopolitical strains and internal unrest.
  • North America experienced slight improvements in some safety indicators, but rising political polarisation and firearm-related violence remain key challenges.

Notable Trends and Observations from GPI 2025

The Global Peace Index 2025 reveals significant transformations in the global landscape of peace and conflict. Below are some of the most prominent insights derived from the report:

  • Deteriorating Peace: 87 countries saw a decline in peace while only 74 improved.
  • Increased Conflict: There were 59 active state-based conflicts—the highest since WWII.
  • Militarisation Rising: Military spending (% of GDP) rose in 84 countries, reflecting global insecurity.
  • Geopolitical Fragmentation: Nations increasingly engage in external conflicts; 98 countries were involved in at least one.
  • Positive Improvements: Homicide rates and perceptions of criminality improved in many countries.
  • Economic Cost: Violence cost the world economy $19.97 trillion in 2024, about 11.6% of global GDP.

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Conclusion

The Global Peace Index 2025 paints a sobering picture. While countries like India are progressing, global peacefulness is at its lowest since the GPI began. The increasing presence of internationalised intrastate conflicts, rising militarisation, and geopolitical fragmentation suggest that peace-building efforts must be strengthened.

As the Global Peace Index continues to serve as a global barometer of conflict and harmony, its findings are not just statistics—they are calls to action for policymakers, civil society, and international institutions.

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Global Peace Index FAQs

The Global Peace Index is an annual ranking of countries based on peacefulness, covering safety, conflict, and militarisation metrics.

It is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

23 indicators including internal conflicts, crime rates, political instability, and military expenditure.

Scores range from 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful).

Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in 2025.

India ranks 115th globally with a score of 2.229.

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