Global Peace Index 2026 report results released

The Institute for Economics & Peace has released the 2026 Global Peace Index, which evaluates 163 countries across 23 criteria including military spending, conflict, and crime. This marks the 12th consecutive year of declining global peace, with 99 countries showing worse performance than the previous year. Iceland remains the world's most peaceful nation, a position it has held since 2008, and improved its score by 2% due to fewer violent protests. Greece improved its standing, moving up two spots to 53rd place with a score of 1.828. Conversely, Cyprus dropped 9 places to rank 80th globally with a score of 1.967. Founder Steve Killelea noted that while global trends are negative, top-ranked countries remain stable. The index highlights that peace is supported by low violence, strong institutions, social trust, and good diplomatic relations.