Global Peace Index 2025, Objectives and India's Rank

Global Peace Index 2025, Objectives and India’s Rank

The Global Peace Index 2025 shows rising conflicts with 59 wars worldwide. India ranks 115th, while Iceland remains the world’s most peaceful country.

Table of Contents

Context: India has been ranked 115th (up from 116th in 2024) in the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025.

Global Peace Index (GPI)

Global Peace Index is published annually by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP).
GPI ranks 163 countries (covering 99.7% of the world’s population) using 23 indicators such as militarisation, external conflicts, homicide rates, and terrorism.

Aspect	Details
Global Peace Trend	Deteriorated by 0.36% in 2025; 59 active state conflicts
Top Peaceful Nations	Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland
Least Peaceful	Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, DR Congo, Yemen
India’s Rank	115th, with slight year-on-year improvement
Key Challenges	Internal security issues, regional tensions, and urban crime

Conflict increase: There are 59 ongoing state-based conflicts, the largest number since World War II.
Rising fatalities: Death tolls in conflicts jumped to 152,000 in 2024, with greater external intervention in conflicts around the world.
Fragmenting destabilisation: Increasing geopolitical stress, asymmetric conflict, and rising debt in weak economies portend a time of international instability.
Economic cost: Violence had a cost to the global economy of $19.97 trillion (PPP), or approximately 11.6% of total world GDP, whereas peace-related expenditures are still peripheral.

Global Peace Index 2025 Rankings

Top-ranked countries: Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.
Least peaceful countries: Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Yemen.
Asia: Singapore is the only Asian country in the top 10, despite its high military expenditure.
- Pakistan is placed at 144th.

Most & Least Peaceful Countries in 2025

Peaceful Countries Ranking: Top 5 Countries: Iceland (still at #1 for the 18th consecutive year), then Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, and Switzerland.
Asian ranking: Singapore ranks as Asia’s least violent country at 6th place in the world.
Least peaceful countries: Ranking at the bottom are Russia (#163), Ukraine (#162), Sudan, DR Congo, and Yemen.

India’s Performance & Regional Context

India’s Rank: India is ranked 115 among 163 nations, demonstrating a slight betterment compared to its earlier rankings (116 in 2024, 126 in 2023).
Regional Standing: India is placed better than its neighbours—ranked higher than Bangladesh (123), Pakistan (144), and Afghanistan (158).
Underlying Issues: The GPI report credits India’s position to variables such as domestic conflicts, crime in urban areas, and governance problems and calls for better security and social cohesion.