Iceland has once again claimed the award of the most peaceful country in world for 2025. This honour is due in no small part to the most recent Global Peace Index. This is the second consecutive year that Iceland has led the index, extending its rule as a fortress of peace. War & Peace Despite the extremely violent past year, the report advocates a burgeoning global inequality, with some countries enjoying unprecedented calm, while others are spiraling into war.
The Global Peace Index, first launched in 2008, ranks countries based on a range of indicators that measure the extent of peace, violence, conflict, and militarization within a nation. This year, the results tell an alarming story. The average country score has fallen by 5.4% since the first index, underscoring a worldwide downward trend in peacefulness.
A Snapshot of Global Peace
The 2025 Global Peace Index illustrates deep disparities among countries. As Iceland comes in again at No. 1 for most peace, the US continues to slide down the list in rank No. 128. This framing exposes the long-standing issues surrounding America’s domestic conflict and violence. These failings have wrought devastating consequences to its ethical standing on the international stage.
In stark contrast to Iceland’s peace, Russia has been designated as the world’s least peaceful country, followed closely by Ukraine at No. 155. These rankings are a powerful reminder of the ongoing effects of geopolitical tensions and military conflicts that have engulfed both countries.
“The world is facing a violent conflict crisis. There were 59 state-based conflicts in 2023, the highest number since the end of World War II,” – 2025 Global Peace Index report
The implications of these findings are truly shocking. During the last 15 years, the difference between the most peaceful and least peaceful countries has increased by 11.7%. This increasing gap even further highlights the role that geopolitical unrest and internal strife can play in widening the peacefulness gap globally.
Regional Insights and Trends
Curiously, South America became the only region to register an increase in peacefulness in this year’s index. Countries like Peru and Argentina showed significant progress, helping the continent’s overall score to land in the green. Their advancement is the product of smart governance and resolution of conflicts key to ensuring much-needed calm.
In Central and South America, Canada and Costa Rica rank as the second and third most peaceful countries in the world. Both countries have managed to contain violence to low levels. They revel in high capacities and standards of living, which further bolsters their positions on the global stage.
In fact, France has been repeatedly labeled as the Western and Central European country with highest levels of militarization. This militarization exposes old wounds and sows new discord among Europeans. It provokes troubling questions about how countries should prepare for war and how they can avoid it.
The Way Forward
Peace is more important than ever, argues The Global Peace Index report to today’s global uncertainty and conflict. It states, “The key to building peacefulness in times of conflict and uncertainty is Positive Peace: the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.”
The report underlines a crucial call for nations to invest in structures that promote understanding and cooperation among different groups. As nations focus on more and more intractable conflicts, it is critical that increasing peacebuilding resources keep our future secure.