The Global Peace Index has ranked the world’s most peaceful countries for 2026. See which nations made the top 10, where the U.S. landed, and why global peace is at its lowest level in nearly two decades.
The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) releases its Global Peace Index each year, ranking the globe’s most peaceful countries using a group of 23 indicators. The lowest-scoring countries are ranked at the top of the list, and this year Iceland takes the top spot as the globe’s most peaceful nation—a position it has held for the last 19 consecutive years.
The metrics include items such as perceptions of criminality, police rate, homicide rate, incarceration rate, access to small arms, violent demonstrations, violent crime, political instability, number of deaths from conflict, weapons stockpiles, and overall safety and security, among others.
The 2026 report also found that global peace was at its lowest level since the index was introduced in 2007, and the conditions that precede conflict were the worst since the Second World War. Ninety-nine countries on the list experienced deterioration in peacefulness in the past year, another high for the index. The number of active, state-based conflicts reached 61.
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Rounding out the top ten on the list after Iceland were New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Singapore, Finland, and Japan.
The least peaceful countries on the index included Russia (ranked last), followed by Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Israel, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Mali.
In North America, Canada (14th overall) and Costa Rica (62nd) were named the most peaceful, while the United States (134th) and Mexico (139th) were similarly ranked. Only Haiti (142nd) ranked lower, meaning the U.S. was the third least peaceful country in North America. The IEP noted that the U.S. dropped four percentage points in 2026, pushing it to its lowest ranking since the index was created.
Mexico’s results were also broken out by state, with Yucatán, Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Durango, and Campeche topping the list. Colima, Sinaloa, and Guanajuato ranked the least peaceful.
The most peaceful countries in South America included Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In Africa, Namibia, Madagascar, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, and Morocco were ranked the most peaceful. Central Asia was also a bright spot for peace, with Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Mongolia all ranking in the upper tiers.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Bhutan, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, and Australia rounded out the most peaceful countries, including top-ranked New Zealand.
The IEP ranks 163 states and territories on its list, encompassing some 99.7% of the global population. The index omits many smaller states without or with limited armed forces, including Monaco, San Remo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Andorra, Cabo Verde, The Seychelles, The Maldives, and Vatican City. Many sovereign island nations in Oceania and the Caribbean are also omitted from the index.
The IEP noted that Europe was the most peaceful region on the index, with seven of the ten most peaceful countries represented, but also noted that scores on the continent dropped because its long-term trend of demilitarization has dropped significantly since 2022.
IEP is a global think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with branch offices in New York, The Hague, Harare, and Mexico City. It’s worth noting that the IEP reviews countries based on overall participation and potential for armed conflict, not threats or concerns specific to travelers. For travel-specific concerns, travelers should still consult the advice of consular offices in their home country before traveling or living internationally.
The full index, and an interactive map on the Global Peace Index and other indices produced by IEP is available on their website.