In an era marked by conflict escalation, geopolitical fragmentation and mounting economic uncertainty, the ten most peaceful nations stand out for their high levels of Positive Peace, the attitudes, institutions and structures that sustain peace over time.
Based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators across three domains: Societal Safety and Security, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and Militarisation, the GPI ranks 163 countries, representing 99.7 per cent of the global population. While average global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.36 per cent in 2025, these ten countries remained at the top, with several improving their scores despite broader regional or global headwinds.
GPI Score: 1.420 | Change: ↑1 | Rank in 2024: 11
Finland re-entered the top ten in 2025, driven by improvements in perceptions of criminality and reductions in political terror. It also ranked third globally in the Safety and Security domain. This comes despite an increasingly complex security environment in Northern Europe.
GPI Score: 1.409 | Change: ↔ | Rank in 2024: 9
Slovenia retains its place in the top ten, reflecting long-term regional stability and effective domestic governance. It benefits from low levels of violent crime, minimal political instability, and limited military engagement.
GPI Score: 1.393 | Change: ↓1 | Rank in 2024: 7
Denmark remains a global leader in peace but dropped one place due to slight deteriorations in the Militarisation domain. Like many European nations, Denmark is facing growing defence spending demands in response to the war in Ukraine and regional security concerns.
GPI Score: 1.371 | Change: ↑1 | Rank in 2024: 8
Portugal has steadily climbed back into the top ten over recent years, reflecting improvements in perceptions of criminality and political stability. Its rise by one position in 2025 highlights its consistent investment in peaceful social development and domestic security.
GPI Score: 1.357 | Change: ↔ | Rank in 2024: 6
Singapore remains the most peaceful country in Southeast Asia and the sixth globally. It performs exceptionally in the domains of Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security. In 2025, it ranked fourth globally in the Ongoing Conflict domain, reflecting its longstanding position as a non-combatant with no recent conflict deaths or external involvement.
GPI Score: 1.294 | Change: ↓1 | Rank in 2024: 4
Switzerland, long known for its neutrality and diplomatic engagement, retains its position among the world’s most peaceful nations. While it dropped one place in the ranking, its overall score remained almost unchanged. Switzerland continues to benefit from political stability, low violent crime, and minimal involvement in international conflicts. Singapore also ranks fifth globally in the Safety and Security domain, reinforcing its status as one of the world’s safest countries in 2025.
GPI Score: 1.294 | Change: ↓1 | Rank in 2024: 3
Austria remains a top-tier peaceful nation, though it slipped one place in 2025. It continues to perform strongly in the domains of Safety and Security and Militarisation. Austria’s central location in Europe, stable political environment, and low levels of internal and external conflict have long supported its high ranking.
GPI Score: 1.282 | Change: ↑2 | Rank in 2024: 5
New Zealand rose two positions in 2025, becoming the most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region and third globally. The country saw improvements across both the Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security domains, with an overall peacefulness improvement of 3.1 per cent. Its strong performance in the Safety and Security domain also places it among the world’s safest countries in 2025. Particularly notable were improvements in the indicators for violent demonstrations and terrorism impact.
GPI Score: 1.260 | Change: ↔ | Rank in 2024: 2
Ireland continues its long-standing position near the top of the GPI, with notable strengths in the Militarisation domain, ranking fifth globally, and an improving position in Safety and Security. The country’s score was bolstered by reductions in political terror and improvements in the perception of criminality. Ireland’s global neutrality, low incarceration rate and high-functioning democratic institutions contribute to its peaceful environment.
GPI Score: 1.095 | Change: ↔ | Rank in 2024: 1
Iceland retains its position as the world’s most peaceful country for the 17th consecutive year. It maintains outstanding scores across all three domains, particularly in Ongoing Conflict, where it scores a perfect 1.000 – indicating no involvement in domestic or international conflict. Iceland’s consistent leadership in peace reflects strong institutions, low crime, minimal militarisation and robust levels of social trust. It also ranks first globally in the Safety and Security domain, making it the world’s safest country in 2025.
Despite diverse geographies, histories and political systems, the ten most peaceful countries in 2025 share some common traits:
The top ten countries in the Global Peace Index 2025 offer compelling models of resilience as the gap widens between the most and least peaceful nations.
Several of the ten most peaceful nations also rank among the world’s safest countries in 2025, based on their performance in the Societal Safety and Security domain of the Global Peace Index. Their high scores in the Safety and Security domain reflect low crime rates, political stability and effective governance, making them some of the world’s safest countries in 2025.
Download and read the 2025 Global Peace Index Report and view the Global Peace Index interactive map. To know more about how peace can be sustained in societies, read the 2024 Positive Peace Report (PPR).
For a year-on-year comparison, see our analysis of the Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the GPI 2024.
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