Mapped: The Global Peace Index in 2026
Key Takeaways
- Europe has the world’s largest concentration of highly peaceful countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index.
- Highly peaceful countries also appear across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa, showing that strong scores are not confined to one region.
- The lowest levels of peacefulness are concentrated in countries experiencing prolonged conflict and political instability.
This map shows how 163 countries are distributed across the Institute for Economics & Peace’s 2026 Global Peace Index, from countries with very high levels of peacefulness to those facing severe conflict and instability.
The geographic pattern is striking. Europe contains many of the world’s highest-rated countries, while clusters of very low peacefulness appear across parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The index draws on 23 indicators covering societal safety, ongoing conflict, political stability, terrorism, displacement, relations with neighboring countries, and militarization. Countries are grouped into five categories ranging from “Very High” to “Very Low” levels of peacefulness.
Where Peace Is Most Concentrated
Europe stands out as the strongest regional cluster on the map, with seven of the world’s 10 most peaceful countries located there.
| Rank | Country | Score | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1.161 | Very High |
| 2 | New Zealand | 1.343 | Very High |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1.363 | Very High |
| 4 | Slovenia | 1.369 | Very High |
| 5 | Ireland | 1.371 | Very High |
| 6 | Austria | 1.421 | Very High |
| 7 | Portugal | 1.427 | Very High |
| 8 | Singapore | 1.435 | Very High |
| 9 | Finland | 1.478 | Very High |
| 10 | Japan | 1.489 | High |
| 11 | Denmark | 1.504 | High |
| 12 | Malaysia | 1.513 | High |
| 13 | Czechia | 1.517 | High |
| 14 | Canada | 1.525 | High |
| 15 | Hungary | 1.538 | High |
| 16 | Bhutan | 1.546 | High |
| 17 | Netherlands | 1.566 | High |
| 18 | Mauritius | 1.586 | High |
| 19 | Latvia | 1.589 | High |
| 20 | Australia | 1.602 | High |
| 21 | Belgium | 1.608 | High |
| 22 | Poland | 1.615 | High |
| 23 | Croatia | 1.619 | High |
| 24 | Lithuania | 1.62 | High |
| 25 | Estonia | 1.623 | High |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 1.628 | High |
| 27 | Spain | 1.654 | High |
| 28 | Germany | 1.657 | High |
| 29 | Slovakia | 1.661 | High |
| 30 | Montenegro | 1.672 | High |
| 31 | Qatar | 1.676 | High |
| 32 | Timor-Leste | 1.681 | High |
| 33 | Norway | 1.688 | High |
| 34 | Mongolia | 1.692 | High |
| 35 | Italy | 1.712 | High |
| 36 | Albania | 1.725 | High |
| 37 | Uzbekistan | 1.726 | High |
| 38 | Equatorial Guinea | 1.729 | High |
| 39 | United Kingdom | 1.73 | High |
| 40 | Sweden | 1.732 | High |
| 41 | Vietnam | 1.738 | High |
| 42 | Taiwan | 1.751 | High |
| 43 | Uruguay | 1.754 | High |
| 44 | Kazakhstan | 1.771 | High |
| 45 | Romania | 1.788 | High |
| 46 | North Macedonia | 1.792 | High |
| 47 | Tajikistan | 1.799 | High |
| 48 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.81 | High |
| 49 | Kuwait | 1.813 | High |
| 50 | Botswana | 1.823 | High |
| 51 | Armenia | 1.825 | High |
| 52 | Chile | 1.826 | High |
| 53 | Greece | 1.828 | High |
| 54 | Kosovo | 1.83 | High |
| 55 | Moldova | 1.836 | High |
| 56 | The Gambia | 1.837 | High |
| 57 | South Korea | 1.839 | High |
| 58 | Laos | 1.846 | High |
| 59 | Madagascar | 1.849 | High |
| 60 | Oman | 1.85 | High |
| 61 | Kyrgyz Republic | 1.853 | High |
| 62 | Costa Rica | 1.86 | High |
| 63 | Namibia | 1.872 | High |
| 64 | Paraguay | 1.882 | High |
| 65 | Morocco | 1.887 | High |
| 66 | Turkmenistan | 1.903 | High |
| 67 | Sri Lanka | 1.91 | Medium |
| 68 | Jordan | 1.913 | Medium |
| 69 | Indonesia | 1.918 | Medium |
| 70 | Jamaica | 1.919 | Medium |
| 70 | Serbia | 1.919 | Medium |
| 72 | Argentina | 1.922 | Medium |
| 73 | United Arab Emirates | 1.927 | Medium |
| 74 | Sierra Leone | 1.937 | Medium |
| 75 | Senegal | 1.939 | Medium |
| 76 | Ghana | 1.943 | Medium |
| 77 | Tunisia | 1.947 | Medium |
| 78 | Angola | 1.955 | Medium |
| 79 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1.959 | Medium |
| 80 | Cyprus | 1.967 | Medium |
| 81 | Panama | 1.976 | Medium |
| 82 | Zambia | 1.992 | Medium |
| 83 | Malawi | 1.994 | Medium |
| 84 | Papua New Guinea | 2.002 | Medium |
| 85 | Guinea-Bissau | 2.012 | Medium |
| 86 | Lesotho | 2.016 | Medium |
| 87 | Liberia | 2.024 | Medium |
| 88 | Guatemala | 2.025 | Medium |
| 89 | Dominican Republic | 2.038 | Medium |
| 90 | Zimbabwe | 2.051 | Medium |
| 91 | Algeria | 2.053 | Medium |
| 92 | Bolivia | 2.054 | Medium |
| 93 | Côte d'Ivoire | 2.061 | Medium |
| 94 | Georgia | 2.066 | Medium |
| 95 | Saudi Arabia | 2.067 | Medium |
| 96 | Cambodia | 2.075 | Medium |
| 97 | Honduras | 2.075 | Medium |
| 98 | Tanzania | 2.08 | Medium |
| 99 | France | 2.083 | Medium |
| 100 | Gabon | 2.086 | Medium |
| 101 | Thailand | 2.089 | Medium |
| 102 | Philippines | 2.092 | Medium |
| 103 | Guyana | 2.093 | Medium |
| 104 | Eswatini | 2.095 | Medium |
| 105 | Djibouti | 2.098 | Medium |
| 106 | Nicaragua | 2.107 | Medium |
| 107 | Peru | 2.12 | Medium |
| 108 | Bahrain | 2.131 | Medium |
| 109 | Cuba | 2.139 | Medium |
| 110 | Azerbaijan | 2.142 | Medium |
| 111 | Nepal | 2.143 | Medium |
| 112 | Mauritania | 2.184 | Medium |
| 113 | Egypt | 2.186 | Medium |
| 114 | Rwanda | 2.2 | Medium |
| 115 | Belarus | 2.216 | Medium |
| 116 | Guinea | 2.22 | Medium |
| 117 | Bangladesh | 2.226 | Medium |
| 118 | China | 2.231 | Medium |
| 119 | Togo | 2.251 | Medium |
| 120 | Republic of the Congo | 2.256 | Medium |
| 121 | El Salvador | 2.264 | Medium |
| 122 | Benin | 2.293 | Medium |
| 123 | South Africa | 2.308 | Medium |
| 124 | Brazil | 2.333 | Medium |
| 125 | Libya | 2.361 | Low |
| 126 | Mozambique | 2.383 | Low |
| 127 | India | 2.409 | Low |
| 128 | Eritrea | 2.412 | Low |
| 129 | Burundi | 2.417 | Low |
| 130 | Uganda | 2.42 | Low |
| 131 | Lebanon | 2.435 | Low |
| 132 | Kenya | 2.447 | Low |
| 133 | Venezuela | 2.516 | Low |
| 134 | United States of America | 2.535 | Low |
| 135 | Ecuador | 2.539 | Low |
| 136 | Türkiye | 2.605 | Low |
| 137 | Cameroon | 2.634 | Low |
| 138 | Ethiopia | 2.648 | Low |
| 139 | Mexico | 2.65 | Low |
| 140 | Iraq | 2.662 | Low |
| 141 | Colombia | 2.735 | Low |
| 142 | Haiti | 2.755 | Low |
| 142 | Nigeria | 2.755 | Low |
| 144 | Iran | 2.759 | Low |
| 145 | Chad | 2.769 | Low |
| 146 | Niger | 2.832 | Low |
| 147 | North Korea | 2.845 | Low |
| 148 | Palestine | 2.877 | Low |
| 149 | Burkina Faso | 2.882 | Low |
| 150 | Central African Republic | 2.906 | Very Low |
| 151 | Myanmar | 2.911 | Very Low |
| 152 | Pakistan | 2.919 | Very Low |
| 153 | Somalia | 2.973 | Very Low |
| 154 | Mali | 2.996 | Very Low |
| 155 | Syria | 3.067 | Very Low |
| 156 | Yemen | 3.081 | Very Low |
| 157 | Afghanistan | 3.106 | Very Low |
| 158 | South Sudan | 3.116 | Very Low |
| 159 | Israel | 3.124 | Very Low |
| 160 | Ukraine | 3.184 | Very Low |
| 161 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 3.189 | Very Low |
| 162 | Sudan | 3.195 | Very Low |
| 163 | Russia | 3.367 | Very Low |
The pattern extends beyond the very top of the index, with much of Northern and Western Europe falling into the higher-peace classifications.
Highly Peaceful Countries Outside Europe
Strong peace scores are not limited to Europe. Several countries across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa also rank highly.
New Zealand places second globally, while Singapore ranks eighth and Japan 10th. Canada ranks 14th and Australia 20th.
Smaller countries also stand out on the map. Bhutan, Mauritius, Timor-Leste, and Botswana are among the countries outside Europe with relatively high levels of peacefulness.
Where Very Low Peacefulness Is Concentrated
At the other end of the map, the lowest levels of peacefulness are concentrated in countries facing active conflict, civil unrest, or prolonged political instability.
Russia ranks last in the 2026 index, while Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Israel, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria are also classified as having very low levels of peacefulness.
These countries form visible clusters across parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, illustrating how armed conflict and instability shape the global geography of peace.
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