The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) released the 20th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2026 on June 9, ranking 163 independent states and territories covering 99.7 per cent of the world’s population. India slipped to 127th position with an overall score of 2.409, a drop of 12 places from its 2025 rank of 115th. The index reveals that global peacefulness has declined for the 12th consecutive year, with 119 countries now less peaceful than they were in 2008.
What Is the Global Peace Index?
The Global Peace Index (GPI) is the world’s leading measure of national and international peacefulness, published annually by the IEP since 2007. It ranks countries on a scale of 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful) using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators drawn from highly respected sources such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
These 23 indicators are grouped into three broad domains:
| Domain | Indicators Covered | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict | 6 indicators | Involvement in internal and external conflicts, conflict deaths, intensity of conflict |
| Societal Safety and Security | 11 indicators | Crime rates, terrorist activity, violent demonstrations, political instability, internal displacement |
| Militarisation | 6 indicators | Military expenditure as share of GDP, armed services personnel, weapons imports and exports, access to small arms |
The GPI uses a weighted scoring system where internal peacefulness carries 60 per cent weight and external peacefulness carries 40 per cent weight. This composite approach ensures that a country’s internal stability and its external conduct both contribute to its final ranking. The index covers 99.7 per cent of the global population, making it the most comprehensive data-driven assessment of peace in the world.
The 2026 GPI: Key Global Findings
The 2026 edition paints a deeply sobering picture of global stability. Global peacefulness deteriorated for the 12th consecutive year, with the average country-level score worsening by 0.7 per cent compared to 2025. Of the 163 countries ranked, 99 recorded a deterioration, while only 62 improved.
The report identifies a profound geopolitical shift called the “Great Fragmentation” as the primary driver of this decline. This term describes the rising influence of middle powers and the waning strength of traditional European powers, creating a more fractured and multipolar global order. This fragmentation is accompanied by a rapid technological revolution in warfare that is outpacing international law and diplomacy.
Record Number of Conflicts
The number of active state-based conflicts reached 61 in 2024, the highest since the end of the Second World War, and double the number from 15 years ago. The expansion has been driven almost entirely by internationalised intrastate conflicts, which have surged by more than 175 per cent since 2010. These are conflicts where foreign states participate in wars within another country’s borders, making proxy warfare a standard instrument of foreign policy.
Economic Cost of Violence
The total economic impact of violence reached USD 19.97 trillion in 2025, equivalent to 11.6 per cent of global GDP. This is nearly double the USD 11 trillion recorded in 2008. Meanwhile, global military expenditure rose to USD 2.7 trillion in 2025, a 9.4 per cent increase in real terms and the steepest annual rise since the index began. In stark contrast, global spending on peacebuilding and peacekeeping stood at just USD 49.2 billion in 2025, a mere 0.5 per cent of total military spending in purchasing power parity terms.
Technology and Warfare
The report highlights that drones have become the defining weapon of modern warfare. Drone attacks rose by roughly 11,500 per cent between 2018 and 2025, with 565 different armed groups carrying out at least one attack during that period. Additionally, for the first time in history, machines are making life-and-death combat decisions faster than any human can review them, yet international frameworks to govern AI-driven warfare remain absent or lack global commitment.
India’s Performance: Rank 127 With a 12-Place Drop
India ranked 127th out of 163 countries in the 2026 GPI with a score of 2.409, a deterioration of 2.9 per cent from the previous year. This marks a significant decline from its 115th position in 2025, slipping 12 spots in a single year. India’s peace score worsened across all three domains, with the Ongoing Conflict domain recording the sharpest deterioration of 9.2 per cent.
Why India’s Score Declined
The GPI report identifies several factors behind India’s declining rank:
Border tensions with Pakistan continued to weigh heavily on India’s conflict indicators. Strained relations along the Line of Control and cross-border firings contributed to the deterioration in the external conflict dimension.
Security concerns along the Myanmar border added to the pressure. Myanmar’s internal turmoil has led to increased instability along the shared border, affecting India’s northeastern states.
Continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities remains a major internal security challenge. The conflict, which erupted in May 2023, has killed more than 260 people and displaced over 60,000, making it one of India’s most persistent internal security crises.
Internal security challenges, including insurgency-related violence in parts of the northeast and left-wing extremism in central India, further pulled down the scores on societal safety and security indicators.
South Asia: The Largest Regional Deterioration
South Asia recorded the sharpest decline in peacefulness among all eight GPI regions, with its average score worsening by 2.3 per cent. Persistent ethnic conflicts, political unrest, terrorism, and cross-border tensions define the region as one of the world’s most volatile. Within South Asia, there is a wide variation in peacefulness:
| Country | Global Rank | Score | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | 16 | 1.546 | Strong social cohesion, low crime |
| Sri Lanka | 67 | Improved by 2.3% | Political stability, economic recovery |
| Nepal | 111 | Dropped 26 places | Large-scale protests, political crisis |
| Bangladesh | 117 | - | Political stability concerns |
| India | 127 | 2.409 | Border tensions, internal conflict |
| Pakistan | 152 | 2.919 | Terrorism, internal conflict |
| Afghanistan | 157 | - | Post-Taliban political instability |
Bhutan remains the most peaceful country in South Asia, ranking 16th globally, owing to its strong social cohesion and low crime rates. At the other end, Afghanistan remains the least peaceful in the region at 157th globally.
Nepal recorded the steepest drop in South Asia and globally, falling 26 places to rank 111th. The decline was triggered by large-scale protests after the government banned multiple social media platforms in September 2025. The protests turned violent, leading to a political crisis and the resignation of the prime minister.
Pakistan fell to 152nd with a 5.5 per cent deterioration in its score. The report highlighted rising terrorism, internal conflict, and worsening relations with neighbours. Pakistan topped the Global Terrorism Index 2026, with more than 1,100 terrorism-related deaths recorded during the year.
The World’s Most and Least Peaceful Countries
Iceland retained its position as the most peaceful country in the world for the 19th consecutive year, with a score of 1.161. The country improved its peacefulness by 2 per cent, driven by a 42.9 per cent improvement in the violent demonstrations indicator. Iceland’s consistent top ranking is attributed to the absence of a standing military, very low crime rates, and strong social cohesion. The top of the index remains remarkably stable, with the same countries occupying leading positions year after year.
Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries (2026)
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1.161 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 1.343 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1.363 |
| 4 | Slovenia | 1.369 |
| 5 | Ireland | 1.371 |
| 6 | Austria | 1.421 |
| 7 | Portugal | 1.427 |
| 8 | Singapore | 1.435 |
| 9 | Finland | 1.478 |
| 10 | Japan | 1.489 |
Western Europe continues to dominate the top of the rankings, with seven of the ten most peaceful countries located in the region. Singapore, at 8th, is the highest-ranked Asian country, followed by Japan at 10th.
Bottom Five Least Peaceful Countries
For the first time, Russia was ranked as the least peaceful country in the world at 163rd, following its prolonged involvement in the Ukraine conflict and heightened militarisation. It is followed by Sudan (162nd), the Democratic Republic of Congo (161st), Ukraine (160th), and Israel (159th). The bottom five reflect the world’s most active conflict zones, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the civil war in Sudan, and the Middle East conflict.
The United States recorded a 4 per cent deterioration and fell to 134th globally, its lowest-ever ranking in the index’s history. The decline was driven by worsening political instability and a surge in violent demonstrations.
About the Institute for Economics and Peace
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is a global think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia, established in 2007 by Steve Killelea, an Australian technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. Killelea, who was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the global peace movement, founded the IEP after building two successful international software companies.
IEP’s mission is to shift the world’s focus to peace as a positive, measurable indicator of human wellbeing and progress. Apart from the GPI, IEP publishes several other major indices, including the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Positive Peace Index (PPI), and the Ecological Threat Report (ETR). The institute’s research is used extensively by governments, academic institutions, and intergovernmental organisations such as the OECD, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
The IEP has regional offices in New York, Brussels, The Hague, Mexico City, and Nairobi, and its research reaches over 20 billion media impressions across more than 150 countries annually.
Key Takeaways
- The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2026 is the 20th edition of the index, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), ranking 163 countries across 23 indicators grouped into three domains.
- India ranked 127th with a score of 2.409, a drop of 12 places from its 2025 rank of 115th, driven by border tensions with Pakistan and Myanmar and ethnic violence in Manipur.
- Iceland remained the most peaceful country for the 19th consecutive year with a score of 1.161, while Russia was ranked the least peaceful at 163rd for the first time.
- Global peacefulness declined for the 12th consecutive year, with 119 countries less peaceful than in 2008 and 61 active state-based conflicts in 2024, the highest since World War II.
- South Asia recorded the largest regional deterioration with a 2.3 per cent decline, driven by falls in Nepal and Pakistan. Bhutan remained the region’s most peaceful at 16th globally.
- The IEP, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, was founded in 2007 by Steve Killelea and also publishes the Global Terrorism Index and the Positive Peace Index.
