Which is the most peaceful country in the world? | World Economic Forum
Global Cooperation

Which is the most peaceful country in the world?

Despite an increase in geopolitical tensions and an upsurge in violence in certain parts of the world, last year saw the overall level of global peacefulness remain stable, according to the latest Global Peace Index report.

Four regions experienced an improvement in peace: Europe, North America, sub-Saharan Africa and Central America and the Caribbean. The remaining five regions – Asia Pacific, South America, Russia and Eurasia, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa – saw a deterioration.

150618-global peace index world map

The MENA region is ranked the least peaceful in the world and saw the most significant changes compared to the previous year as violence flared across Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen.

Overall, 81 countries became more peaceful while 78 countries were worse off.

The Global Peace Index, issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranks 162 independent states covering 99.6% of the world’s population.

The 10 most peaceful countries

  1. Iceland
  2. Denmark
  3. Austria
  4. New Zealand
  5. Switzerland
  6. Finland
  7. Canada
  8. Japan
  9. Australia
  10. Czech Republic

The 10 least peaceful countries

  1. Syria
  2. Iraq
  3. Afghanistan
  4. South Sudan
  5. Central African Republic
  6. Somalia
  7. Sudan
  8. DR Congo
  9. Pakistan
  10. North Korea

To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Author: Paul Muggeridge is Head of Content at Formative Content.

Image: A pile of rocks stand in front of a waterfall in Skogarfoss, Iceland May 28, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Share:
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.