The 2026 Global Peace Index shows that peacefulness remains concentrated among a group of countries with low levels of conflict and strong performance across measures of safety and security.
Europe continues to dominate the rankings, accounting for seven of the 10 most peaceful countries, while New Zealand, Singapore and Japan represent the Pacific and Asia. The regional concentration highlights the continued strength of European countries across the index’s measures of peace.
The rankings also show how closely some countries perform against one another. Switzerland, Slovenia and Ireland, for instance, are separated by relatively small differences in their overall scores, underlining the narrow margins between countries near the top of the index.
The index ranks 163 countries using indicators covering three broad areas: safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarisation. These measures provide a broader assessment of peacefulness beyond the absence of war or armed conflict.
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