Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the World 2024: Iceland Leads Global Peace Index Rankings Again

The results of the 2024 GPI are quite dismal; over the past year, the Global Peace Index has fallen by an average of 0.1 percentage point, a 56% increase from last year. This is the 12th time in the past 16 years that the index has deteriorated, due to ongoing conflicts, militarization, and the transformation of warfare in the 21st century.

However, the report also shows that 65 of the 64 countries assessed scored higher on the Peace Index in 2024 than the previous year. The 10 least violent countries are Iceland, Ireland and Austria, all of which provide new evidence that conflict prevention has economic and social dividends.

Top 10 most peaceful countries in the world

  1. Iceland — Iceland is the world’s most peaceful country for the 17th consecutive year. It ranked third in safety and security and first in ongoing conflict and militarization, but its safety index fell 4 percent due to rising homicide rates and the impact of terrorism.
  2. Ireland – Ireland ranked second, had the fourth lowest economic costs of violence, and has a neutral military with no NATO military spending targets.
  3. Austria — Austria remains in fifth place, performing well in all areas and is known for its low economic costs of violence. However, recent terrorist incidents have led to a tough government response.
  4. New Zealand – New Zealand ranked fourth globally and the most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region. The country improved on indicators of violent protests, incarceration rates and the impact of terrorism.
  5. Denmark – Denmark has moved up to second place, with the economic cost of violence being lower at just 4% of GDP. However, its military spending is expected to increase due to the recently announced budget.
  6. Portugal – Portugal holds a solid 7th place and is recognized as the fifth most peaceful country in Europe.
  7. Singapore – Singapore made a notable move up the rankings to sixth place. Despite relatively high military spending, it ranked second in the Asia-Pacific region and ranked in the top five in the areas of safety, security and ongoing conflict.
  8. Slovenia – Slovenia is the only Central European country in the top ten, and despite dropping one spot to eighth overall, it still ranks fifth in the area of ​​militarization.
  9. Japan – Japan moved up to 9th place, ranking second in the security sector and third in the Asia-Pacific region. Japan has high collective self-defense spending due to its proximity to China and North Korea.
  10. Switzerland – Switzerland enters the top ten, but its per capita arms exports are still among the highest in the world.

rank

nation

GPI score

1

Iceland

1.112

2

Ireland

1.303

3

Austria

1.313

4

New Zealand

1.323

5

Singapore

1.339

6

Switzerland

1.350

7

Portugal

1.372

8

Denmark

1.382

9

slovenia

1.395

10

Malaysia

1.427

The ranking reflects the peacefulness of each country based on various indicators. The lower the score, the more peaceful the country.

The top ten countries are mainly from Europe, with 7 countries, while the remaining 3 countries are from the Asia-Pacific region. The Global Peace Index analyzes 23 indicators in terms of militarization, safety and security, and domestic and international conflicts to rank countries.

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