The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), measures the relative peacefulness of 163 countries based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators.

• The 2025 report notes a continued decline in global peace, with the average peacefulness deteriorating by 0.36% – the highest decline since World War II. Key Highlights India Performs better in Region:  India ranks 115th, improving its position over previous years and placing ahead of Pakistan (146), Bangladesh (124), and Afghanistan (163).
  • This reflects improvements in domestic conflict, terrorism-related incidents, and growing regional stability in India.

• Global: Peace Inequality is growing worldwide, the gap between most and least peaceful nations has widened by 11.7% over two decades.
• 74 countries showed improvements in peace this year despite an overall global decline.
• Iceland remains the most peaceful country since 2008,  whereas Afghanistan (Rank 163) is the least peaceful country.
• MENA (Middle East and North Africa) remains the least peaceful region for the 10th consecutive year.
• The world is at an inflection point, with global influence and power fragmenting.
• The number of globally influential countries has nearly tripled since the end of the Cold War, rising from 13 to 34 by 2023.
• Conflicts are becoming more internationalised, with 78 countries involved in conflicts beyond their borders in 2024.
• There are currently 59 active state-based conflicts – the most since the end of WWII, with 152,000 conflict-related deaths recorded in 2024.
• There were 17 countries with over 1,000 internal conflict deaths in 2024, the highest since 1999, and a further 18 countries that recorded over 100 deaths.
• The global economic impact of violence reached $19.97 trillion in 2024, equivalent to 11.6% of global GDP, with military expenditure alone accounting for $2.7 trillion.

About Global Peace Index

• It is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness and presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies.
• The Global Peace Index covers 99.7% of the world’s population, and is calculated using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains:
  • the level of Societal Safety and Security,
  • the extent of Ongoing Domestic and 
  • International Conflict and the degree of Militarisation.

The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)

• It  is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.
• Headquartered: Sydney
• It works with a wide range of partners internationally and collaborates with intergovernmental organisations on measuring and communicating the economic value of peace.

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