The 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), released by the Institute for Economics & Peace, paints a sobering picture of global stability. The world now records more active state-based conflicts than at any time since World War II. Seventeen countries experienced over 1,000 conflict-related deaths in the past year, while a further 18 recorded more than one hundred fatalities.
Measured across 23 indicators covering the domains of Ongoing Conflict, Safety and Security, and Militarisation, the GPI ranks 163 nations. Despite their geographic diversity, the ten least peaceful countries in 2025 share several common traits. These include ongoing internal or external conflicts, weak or failing governance, high levels of militarisation, and severe humanitarian crises. Many are also theatres for internationalised conflicts, drawing in foreign actors and exacerbating instability.
Rank in 2025: 154 | GPI Score: 3.061 | Change: ↓1 | Rank in 2024: 153
Mali continues to face jihadist insurgencies and political volatility. A military-led government, the departure of international peacekeepers, and worsening human rights conditions have all contributed to Mali’s decline. The country is a hotspot in the Sahel’s broader regional instability.
Rank in 2025: 155 | GPI Score: 3.108 | Change: ↔ | Rank in 2024: 155
The outbreak of war with Hamas in late 2023 has had a devastating impact on Israel’s peacefulness score. The conflict has involved high casualties, extensive use of military force, and regional instability. Israel recorded the highest deterioration globally on the military expenditure indicator.
Rank in 2025: 156 | GPI Score: 3.117 | Change: ↑2 | Rank in 2024: 158
South Sudan is one of the highest-risk countries for future conflict escalation, according to IEP’s conflict matrix. Internal divisions, external interference and a breakdown of public trust in state institutions have driven conflict deaths and displacement to high levels.
Rank in 2025: 157 | GPI Score: 3.184 | Change: ↓1 | Rank in 2024: 156
Syria’s prolonged civil conflict has left deep scars. Despite the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, the transitional government faces major hurdles. Clashes over the Syria-Lebanon border and continued humanitarian needs keep Syria ranked as one of the least peaceful nations.
Rank in 2025: 158 | GPI Score: 3.229 | Change: ↑2 | Rank in 2024: 160
Afghanistan remains extremely fragile. While international involvement has diminished, internal repression and violent extremism remain prevalent. Afghanistan records the highest global score on the Safety and Security domain, with deteriorating indicators including political terror, violent crime and limited access to justice.
Rank in 2025: 159 | GPI Score: 3.262 | Change: ↑3 | Rank in 2024: 162
Years of civil war and humanitarian disaster keep Yemen among the world’s least peaceful countries. Although major international fighting has waned, the domestic conflict and lawlessness persist. The country continues to suffer from widespread displacement, political fragmentation and poverty.
Rank in 2025: 160 | GPI Score: 3.292 | Change: ↓3 | Rank in 2024: 157
The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains in deep crisis. It is one of the countries most affected by conflict escalation drivers identified by IEP, including external involvement and ethnic exclusion. In 2025, conflict deaths increased and regional instability continues to displace millions.
Rank in 2025: 161 | GPI Score: 3.323 | Change: ↑2 | Rank in 2024: 163
Sudan continues its descent into conflict with civil war raging between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. In 2024 alone, more than 6,800 deaths were recorded from internal conflict, and humanitarian agencies remain unable to operate safely in many parts of the country. Displacement and lawlessness are widespread, driving further deterioration in peacefulness.
Rank in 2025: 162 | GPI Score: 3.434 | Change: ↓3 | Rank in 2024: 159
Ukraine ranks second least peaceful globally, reflecting the ongoing war with Russia. Beyond the battlefield, Ukraine saw surges in organised crime, arms trafficking and domestic violence in 2024. The proliferation of weapons from the conflict zone has driven lawlessness and insecurity across the country, undermining public safety.
Rank in 2025: 163 | GPI Score: 3.441 | Change: ↓2 | Rank in 2024: 161
Russia ranks as the least peaceful country in the world for the first time. The continuation of the war in Ukraine drove severe deteriorations in the Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security domains. The conflict spilled across borders with the August 2024 Kursk offensive marking the first major combat inside Russian territory since the war began. Civilian unrest, internal violence and increased militarisation have further exacerbated instability.
The Societal Safety and Security domain of the Global Peace Index assesses internal stability using indicators such as violent crime, political instability, perceptions of criminality, terrorism impact, and access to law enforcement.
Most of the least peaceful countries also rank among the lowest in societal safety and security, underscoring a strong correlation between personal insecurity and broader systemic fragility. Common characteristics include ongoing conflict, weak governance, institutional erosion, and a breakdown in public trust in safety and justice, making these the world’s least safe countries in 2025:
The bottom ten countries in the Global Peace Index 2025 reflect the convergence of conflict, fragility and global neglect. Many of these nations are caught in self-reinforcing cycles of violence, where political instability, poverty and militarisation fuel one another. In many cases, foreign involvement exacerbates these dynamics. The data underscores the urgent need for coordinated international engagement, investment in peacebuilding, and support for governance reform. Without such efforts, the risks of wider regional instability will only grow.
— Explore the Global Peace Index interactive map to view rankings and explore data.
— Read the 2024 Positive Peace Report (PPR), to learn how peace can be sustained in societies.
— For a year-on-year comparison, see our analysis of the The 10 Least Peaceful Countries in the GPI 2024
— Explore the characteristics of the world’s 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the GPI 2025.
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