Source: FE
Context: The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025 ranked Iceland as the most peaceful country, while India stood at 115th out of 163 nations, reflecting a modest improvement in its peace score.
About The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025:
What it is?
- An annual ranking of countries on peacefulness.
- Covers 163 states and territories, representing 99.7% of the world’s population.
Published by:
- The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an international think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
Criteria:
- GPI assesses countries on 23 indicators across 3 broad domains:
- Societal Safety & Security (crime rates, political stability, refugee impact).
- Ongoing Domestic & International Conflict (war, terrorism, civil unrest).
- Militarisation (military expenditure, weapons imports/exports, armed personnel).
Trends and Rankings (2025):
- Top performers: Iceland (1st), followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia.
- Least peaceful: Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, DR Congo, Yemen.
- Regional trends:
- Europe dominates the top 10.
- South America showed improvements (Argentina, Peru).
- Sub-Saharan Africa & Middle East remain least peaceful.
- Global average peacefulness declined due to internal conflicts, militarisation, and geopolitical divides.
India & GPI 2025:
- India ranked 115th with a score of 2.229, an improvement of 0.58% over last year.
- Factors behind improvement: gradual decline in domestic violence & disputes, better societal stability.
- Challenges: high militarisation, cross-border tensions, and sporadic internal unrest.
