This is the world’s most peaceful country for 2025

The Nordic nation of Iceland, famed for its volcanoes, hot springs and uniquely sublime landscapes, has once again been named the most peaceful country in the world by the Global Peace Index, CNN reports. 

Produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the index ranks 163 independent states and territories according to criteria including societal safety and security; the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict; and the degree of militarization.

As well as topping the index for 2025, Iceland is No. 3 on the World Happiness Report’s list of the world’s most blissed-out countries, and is one of the most desirable travel destinations in the Northern Hemisphere.

So what are Iceland and the rest of the countries in the top five — Ireland, New Zealand, Austria and Switzerland — doing so right?

“The key to building peacefulness in times of conflict and uncertainty is Positive Peace: the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies,” says the Global Peace Index report. “Positive Peace is strongly correlated with higher GDP growth, lower interest rates, societal wellbeing and more resilience to shocks.”

How the rest of the world stacks up

In the years since the Global Peace Index was created in 2008, the average country score has deteriorated by 5.4 per cent. The gap between the most and least peaceful countries has also widened by 11.7 per cent over this time.

“The world is facing a violent conflict crisis. There were 59 state-based conflicts in 2023, the highest number since the end of World War II,” the 2025 report says.

Russia is, for the first time, the world’s least peaceful country, followed by Ukraine.

The United States has a low ranking on the index, appearing at No. 128, below Honduras, Bangladesh and Uganda. This is largely down to its high level of militarization, which places it – under that criteria – down at the less peaceful end of the index, closer to North Korea (No. 149), Israel (No. 155), Ukraine (No. 162) and Russia (No. 163).

France is the most militarized country in Western and Central Europe, while South America was the only region to record an improvement of peacefulness in this latest index. The biggest improvements were in Peru and Argentina, while Canada and Costa Rica were the most peace-loving nations in Central and South America.

Mauritius, Botswana and Namibia — all with thriving tourism industries, attracting honeymooners, wildlife-lovers and adventure travelers respectively — were the most peaceful countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.