Global Peace Index Report: Identifying and Measuring the Factors that Drive Peace

Key Chapter Title List

1. Executive Summary
2. Results
3. Trends
4. The Economic Impact of Violence
5. Why Conflicts Escalate
6. Positive Peace and Information Flow
7. Regional Overview
8. Integration and Trade-offs in European Defense Spending
9. Appendix

Document Introduction

The Institute for Economics & Peace's "2025 Global Peace Index" is its 19th annual report, providing a comprehensive assessment of the peacefulness of 163 independent countries and territories worldwide, covering 99.7% of the global population. The report indicates that global peace has declined for the sixth consecutive year, with the current number of 59 interstate conflicts reaching a new high since the end of World War II. Through 23 indicators covering three domains—Societal Safety and Security, Ongoing Conflict, and Militarization—the report reveals the world is facing the most severe peace reversal since the index's inception in 2008, with the average country score deteriorating by 5.4%.

The report's structured analysis begins with the presentation of the annual Global Peace Index results. The study finds that the global average peace level deteriorated by 0.36% in 2025, with 74 countries improving in peacefulness but 87 deteriorating. Russia has become the world's least peaceful country for the first time, followed by Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Yemen. Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland rank among the world's most peaceful countries. At the regional level, the Middle East and North Africa remains the world's least peaceful region for the tenth consecutive year, while South America is the only region to have improved in peacefulness.

The report then delves into long-term trends, revealing structural features of the deterioration in overall global stability since 2008. The peace level in the Ongoing Conflict domain has significantly declined by 17.5%, while the trend in the Militarization domain, after years of improvement, has reversed in the past five years. The level of geopolitical fragmentation now exceeds that of the Cold War era, global trade as a percentage of GDP has stagnated over the past decade, and military expenditure reached a historic high of $2.7 trillion in 2024. The report particularly highlights the defense challenges facing Europe: despite its total military spending far exceeding Russia's, its overall military capability advantage is limited due to a lack of integration and coordination of military forces.

The third part of the report quantifies the economic impact of violence on the global economy. In 2024, the economic impact of violence reached $19.97 trillion (PPP), equivalent to 11.6% of global GDP. Military expenditure is the largest component, accounting for 45%. Spending on peacebuilding and peacekeeping constitutes only 0.52% of total military expenditure and has decreased in real value by 26% since 2008. Macroeconomic factors, such as slowing growth, high debt, and rising youth unemployment, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, increase near-term conflict risks.

The fourth part shifts to conflict dynamics analysis, exploring key factors behind the sharp escalation of conflicts. The report identifies nine major conflict escalation factors, including external military support, ethnic exclusion, and instrumentalization of conflict, supported by historical cases such as the civil wars in Spain, Greece, Sri Lanka, and the wars in Sudan and Ethiopia's Tigray region. Based on an assessment of these factors, the report points to significant escalation risks in conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Syria, and between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Finally, the report explores the relationship between the free flow of information and peace, noting that despite significant improvements in telecommunications access, press freedom and information quality have sharply declined. Media coverage of conflicts is severely imbalanced, with civilian deaths in high-income countries receiving far more attention than those in low-income countries. In today's geopolitical environment, the key to building peaceful societies lies in investing in "Positive Peace"—the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.