Latest news with #InstituteForEconomicsAndPeace
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Forbes
The Safest Countries In The World, Per 2025 Global Peace Index
The Giant's Causeway, North Antrim, Northern Ireland—one of the safest countries in the world as per the 2025 Global Peace Index With the political landscape as volatile as it is, it's beneficial to know how safe your travel destination is. Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace publishes its Global Peace Index, a comprehensive analysis of the world's safety. The results of the 2025 study highlight the safest countries in the world, and according to the new rankings, the top five most peaceful countries are: All top five countries rank highly because they have resilient institutions, low corruption, and well-functioning infrastructure, what the research calls positive peace indicators, making them ideal destinations for travel. The U.K. ranks at number 30 (up two places from last year), and the U.S. ranks at number 128, maintaining its position directly below Mozambique, South Africa, and Kenya. In 2020, Iceland was in first place, with New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark rounding out the top five. The annual studies frequently note that most of these safest countries in the world are also places that regularly appear on lists of the best places to visit. Canada, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Japan, and Switzerland were among the top ten that year. In 2025, Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, and Finland are now among the top ten. It makes sense, of course; a less peaceful world leads to increased economic instability and a significant reduction in global GDP. If people are preoccupied with fighting or concerned about their lives, they cannot create art, build homes, run businesses, or host visiting families. In 2023, Steve Killelea, founder of the IEP, said, "We all want to relax when we're on holiday, and there is no better place to do so than in countries that are free of violence. This is one of the reasons why each of the top ten most peaceful countries are also some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world." Killelea adds, "This should show governments that peace comes with substantial economic benefits, as well as improving the health and well-being of their citizens. So, next time you consider where to go on holiday, why don't you vote with your feet by choosing a peaceful country?" In 2020, the Global Peace Index noted that the economic impact of COVID-19 could negatively affect political stability, international relations, conflict, civil rights, and violence, potentially undoing many years of socio-economic development. At that time, it noted that "the gap between the least and most peaceful countries continues to grow" and that climate change would only exacerbate world safety as climate refugees become increasingly common. All of these conclusions have been borne out. By 2022, the Global Peace Index ranked eight of the world's safest countries in Europe, with Iceland still being the most peaceful. New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia rounded out the top five safest countries. The U.S. ranked 122nd, one place lower than in the previous two years, and the U.K. ranked 33rd. It noted that, yet again, the gap between the most peaceful and least peaceful countries continued to grow. Afghanistan was the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year, with Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq rounding out the bottom five. In 2023, the Global Peace Index reported that global conflict had reached its highest level in 15 years. The U.K., amongst other countries, had recently added 15% of the world's landmass to a list where travel was ill-advised. The study found too that U.S. homicide rates were 6 times greater than the average across Western Europe, driven by gun violence and political tensions. Afghanistan was the least peaceful country (for the eighth consecutive year), followed by Yemen, Syria, and South Sudan—the Democratic Republic of the Congo surpassed Iraq to take fifth place. And now, in 2025, the study finds that the trend is continuing and that "global peacefulness continues to decline and that many of the leading factors that precede major conflicts are higher than they have been since the end of World War Two." It notes that more countries are increasing their levels of militarization in response to rising geopolitical tensions and conflict. Additionally, it notes that traditional alliances are dissolving, leading to increased economic uncertainty. None of this makes the world more ideal for travelers. There are currently more than 59 active state-based conflicts, more than at any other time since World War Two and three more than last year. Conflicts are also being less successfully resolved and are increasingly internationalized—78 countries are involved in conflicts beyond their borders. In 2025, Russia is the least peaceful country, according to the Index, for the first time in the world, with Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Yemen rounding out the bottom five. And while Western and Central Europe is the most peaceful region, home to eight of the ten most peaceful countries, its peacefulness is falling too and has been over the past four years. The Middle East and North Africa region is, globally, the world's least peaceful place. In 2025, Killelea says that "rising conflict deaths, accelerating geopolitical fragmentation, and the erosion of social cohesion are driving 'The Great Fragmentation" – a fundamental reshaping of the global order not seen since the Cold War." In this context, it makes even more sense to know everything about your travel destination before you book. MORE FROM FORBES
Khaleej Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
78 countries engaged in conflict: World least peaceful since World War II, says report
[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.] There are currently 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of WWII and three more than the previous year, according to a new study. 'Global peacefulness continues to decline and many of the leading factors that precede major conflicts are higher than they have been since the end of WWII. More countries are increasing their levels of militarisation against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, increasing conflict, the breakup of traditional alliances and rising economic uncertainty, according to Global Peace Index, released by Institute for Economics & Peace. The study noted that there are currently 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of WWII and three more than the previous year. Some of the major cross-border disputes are Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, US-Russia, China-US, Iran-US, Israel-Syria, Armenia-Azerbaijan, India-Pakistan, EU-Russia, UK-Russia, US-Venezuela, Yemen-Saudi Arabia, Turkiye-USA, North Korea-US, Germany-Russia, China-Taiwan and many African countries. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The attacks between Israel and Iran is the latest military conflict which has shaken global peace. Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, June 13, killing its senior military leadership and also targeted military and nuclear installations. In addition, Ukraine-Russia is another major military conflict which involves multiple countries. 78 countries engaged in conflicts The study ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness, covering 99.7 per cent of the world's population. It said conflicts are also becoming more internationalised, making solutions more difficult as 78 countries are engaged in a conflict beyond their borders, blaming geopolitical fragmentation, increasing major power competition, and the rise in influence of middle level powers, who are becoming more active within their regions. Importantly, it added that the almost two-decade-long trend of falling militarisation has also reversed, with 106 countries having deteriorated in the militarisation domain in the past two years. 'Additionally, the successful resolution of conflicts is lower than at any point in the last 50 years. Conflicts that ended in a decisive victory fell from 49 per cent in the 1970s to nine per cent in the 2010s, while conflicts that ended through peace agreements fell from 23 per cent to four per cent over the same period,' said the 19th edition of the Global Peace Index. Most and least peaceful countries This year's results revealed that the level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.36 per cent, with 74 countries improving and 87 deteriorating. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland. Russia, for the first time, is the least peaceful country in the world, followed by Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Yemen. Regionally, Western and Central Europe is the most peaceful in the world while the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region remains the world's least peaceful region. South Asia is the second least peaceful region as its ranking deteriorated primarily due to repressive measures in Bangladesh under the previous government, and heightened cross-border tension between India and Pakistan. South America was the only region to record an improvement in peacefulness last year as seven of the 11 countries improved.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
World's safest and unsafest countries revealed in Global Peace Index - and UK and USA are surprisingly low
The world's safest country has been named but global peace levels have deteriorated since last year, according to the latest Global Peace Index. The 2025 Index, created by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), also finds that the world is undergoing 'a fundamental reshaping of the global order'. Researchers record 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of WWII, with 100 countries becoming less peaceful than they were a decade ago. Countries are ranked based on both internal peace indicators, such as the level of violent crime, the number of murders and violent demonstrations, and external peace indicators such as military expenditure, number of nuclear weapons and relations with neighbouring countries. Iceland tops the ranking again as the world's most peaceful country in 2025, a title it has held since 2008. Ireland takes second place for peace, while New Zealand, Austria and Switzerland also make the top five. Singapore lands just outside the top five with the rest of the top 10 made up of European countries - Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia and Finland. The UK ranks as the 30th most peaceful country in the world and has risen two places in the index since 2024. The USA lands at the bottom end of the ranking, falling to place 128 out of 163 countries. Although its score did not change this year, the report notes that the country is facing 'rising political tensions and increasing polarisation'. Russia is rated the world's least peaceful country with Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen all in the bottom five. Western and Central Europe is the most peaceful region in the world but the researchers warn that 'Europe's security environment is undergoing a profound transformation'. They claim that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and 'diminishing US strategic focus' on Europe has meant that European countries are 'increasingly diverting funds' from areas such as education and healthcare towards 'military expenditure'. The researchers add: 'The Russian threat is real and no individual European country comes close to Russia's military capability.' The Middle East and North African region remains the world's least peaceful area in 2025. Meanwhile Sub-Saharan Africa has the most countries engaged in conflict, with 35 of 43 nations involved in a conflict in the last five years. According to the IEP, Kashmir, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria are the regions that are at highest risk of entering a major war. South America is the only region to improve on its peacefulness scores since last year's index. The number of countries that are considered to have 'global influence' has also risen, with 34 nations considered to have 'significant geopolitical influence' in at least one other country. That's a huge increase since the end of the Cold War, when just 13 countries were considered to hold that much influence. China has seen the biggest increase in influence since the Cold War but Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, the UAE, Israel, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia are also recorded as being 'influential regional powers'. Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman at the IEP, says: 'The concept of "forever wars" is more real than at any stage in history. 'This year's Global Peace Index shows that the world is at a critical inflection point. This is driven by rising middle-level powers, major power competition, and unsustainable levels of debt burdens in the world's most fragile countries.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IEP - 'The Great Fragmentation' Driving Conflict: World Peace Plummets
LONDON, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ -- The 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), released today by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), reveals a continuing decline in global peacefulness, with many key indicators that precede major conflicts higher than at any time since World War II. Rising conflict deaths, accelerating geopolitical tensions, and middle power assertiveness are driving 'The Great Fragmentation' - a fundamental reshaping of the global order and marking the emergence of a new geopolitical era. When combined with major power competition, asymmetric warfare technologies, and mounting debt in fragile economies, the prospect for further conflict is high. Key findings: Global peace is at its lowest level since the inception of the Index, while the conditions that precede conflict are the worst since WWII. Global peacefulness has deteriorated every year since 2014, with 100 countries deteriorating over the last decade. There are currently 59 active state-based conflicts - the most since the end of WWII, with 152,000 conflict-related deaths recorded in 2024. There were 17 countries with over 1,000 internal conflict deaths in 2024, the highest since 1999, and a further 18 countries that recorded over 100 deaths. The world is at an inflection point, with global influence and power fragmenting. The number of globally influential countries has nearly tripled since the end of the Cold War, rising from 13 to 34 by 2023. Conflicts are becoming more internationalised, with 78 countries involved in conflicts beyond their borders in 2024. The global economic impact of violence reached $19.97 trillion in 2024, equivalent to 11.6% of global GDP, with military expenditure alone accounting for $2.7 trillion. The world is at an inflection point, and the number of state-based conflicts is the highest since World War II. Conflicts are becoming more difficult to win and increasingly expensive - at the same time, global investment in conflict prevention has dramatically reduced. Eighty-seven countries deteriorated in peacefulness in 2024 compared to 74 that improved. However, some indicators showed improvement in 2024, notably criminality and homicide rates, which continued their long-term trends. Beyond the immense human suffering, conflict represents a substantial economic burden through the displacement, dislocated trade, business uncertainty, and destruction of infrastructure. The global economic impact of violence reached $19.97 trillion in 2024, while the countries worst affected by conflict have recorded drops in GDP of up to 30% in a single year. Global expenditure on peacekeeping, relative to military expenditure, is at its lowest level in more than two decades - just 0.52% of total military spending in 2024. The concentration of global influence and power is shifting, with mid-level powers becoming more active and influential within their regions due to their rising wealth. This has led to a fragmentation of influence and increasing competition, often between themselves. Relations with neighbouring countries have deteriorated substantially in the last decade, with 43 countries deteriorating and only 10 improving. There are now 34 countries with significant geopolitical influence in at least one other nation, compared to just thirteen at the end of the Cold War. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, India, the UAE, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia have become influential regional powers. Adding to the fragmentation, restrictive trade practices tripled to over 3,000 measures in 2023. China has witnessed the largest increase in influence since the Cold War but appears to be plateauing, with its gross debt rising to near 300% of GDP and FDI falling dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years. Regional Analysis Western and Central Europe remains the most peaceful region globally, with Iceland remaining the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008, joined at the top of the index by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland. European economies are experiencing sustained low growth, and with reductions in foreign aid and the current global retreat from democracy, their influence is diminishing. France and the UK have had the largest falls in influence. For the first time, Russia is the least peaceful country in the world, followed by Ukraine, Sudan, DRC, and Yemen. Europe's military expenditure is almost four times Russia's, yet its combined military capacity is only one-third higher. As defence budgets increase, diverting funds from healthcare and education, governments risk exacerbating already high social tensions. Europe's priority should be efficiency and integration, not spending levels. Without a unified strategic vision and integrated command systems, their defence potential remains unrealised. Europe must seek to balance defence requirements with internal cohesion. Central and North America recorded the second-largest decline, with Canada recording the largest fall in the region, mainly due to a deterioration in the neighbouring country relations indicator following heightened tensions with the US administration. The US score did not change; however, future falls are likely due to rising political tensions and increasing polarisation. There have been over 1500 violent demonstrations in the US since 2020, with 51 violent demonstrations recorded since the last federal election Steve Killelea, Founder & Executive Chairman, IEP: "The concept of 'forever wars' is more real than at any stage in history. This year's Global Peace Index shows that the world is at a critical inflection point with Global Fragmentation dramatically increasing. This is driven by rising middle-level powers, major power competition, and unsustainable levels of debt burdens in the world's most fragile countries. This is leading to a fundamental realignment and a possible tipping point to a new international order, the nature of which still can't be fathomed." Conflict Hotspots & Risk Assessment The MENA region remains the world's least peaceful, with four countries ranked in the bottom ten on the GPI: Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Israel. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the most countries engaged in conflict, with 35 of 43 countries involved in a conflict in the past five years - a significant increase from just seven in 2008. Sub-Saharan Africa's debt servicing to government revenue is particularly concerning, at over 40%. These countries are amongst the most fragile in the world. The Sahel remains the global epicentre of terrorism. Africa Corps continues to build its presence in the region with major arms shipments to Mali, ranked 154th, avoiding western sanctions while the remnants of the Wagner group withdraw. The shipments include tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and planes. South Asia recorded the largest deterioration in peacefulness, driven by repressive measures in Bangladesh and civil unrest and conflict in Pakistan. Kashmir clearly illustrates the risk of conflict escalation, with an April 2025 terror attack bringing nuclear-armed India and Pakistan close to open war. South America was the only region to improve, with Peru recording the biggest improvement, driven by reductions in civil unrest. IEP has developed a new set of predictive conflict measures that identify areas at highest risk of escalation into major wars: Kashmir, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Syria. All these conflicts are at risk of more than tens of thousands of annual casualties. Technology & Modern Warfare The changing nature of technology is fundamentally altering conflict dynamics, making warfare more accessible and prolonged. The number of companies manufacturing drones increased from 6 in 2022 to over 200 in 2024. Ukraine will produce more than 2.5 million drones in 2025. The next generation of drones will be AI-enhanced and capable of autonomous navigation, swarm coordination, and precision targeting. The conflict in Ukraine has become a testing ground for this new warfare, with drone attacks by Ukrainian forces increasing by over 127 times since the early days of the war. Inexpensive drones, improvised explosive devices, and other technologies, costing as little as a few hundred dollars, can neutralise high-value military assets worth millions, fundamentally redressing the power balance between state and non-state actors. This asymmetric capability means smaller insurgent groups can now sustain conflicts against far larger conventional forces. Once these technologies are adopted by insurgent militias globally, it will become increasingly difficult to contain their activity, contributing to the 'forever wars' phenomenon where conflicts become prolonged and unwinnable. Notes to EditorsThe full GPI 2025 report and interactive map are available at: X: @GlobPeaceIndex Facebook: About the Global Peace Index (GPI) The GPI is produced by the international think tank the Institute for Economics & Peace and has been published annually for the last 19 years. It is the most comprehensive resource on global peace trends, ranking 163 independent states and territories, covering 99.7 per cent of the world's population. It uses multiple indicators to measure the state of peace across 'societal safety and security', 'ongoing domestic and international conflict', and 'degree of militarisation'. About the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) is the world's leading think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyse peace and to quantify its economic value. It does this by developing global and national indices, including the annual Global Peace Index, calculating the economic cost of violence and understanding Positive Peace, which is the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. Logo - View original content: SOURCE Institute for Economics & Peace View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
