Thailand drops five spots to 86th in Global Peace Index 2025
Thailand has fallen to 86th place in the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), a drop of five positions compared to the previous year.
The annual report, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), evaluates 163 countries and territories, covering 99.7% of the global population.
This year’s findings show that global peace continues to deteriorate for the sixth consecutive year. In fact, peace levels have declined in 13 of the past 17 years since the index was first launched.
The GPI measures more than just the absence of conflict; it is closely linked to the concept of sustainability in society — including efficient natural resource management, equal access to education, and stable living conditions.
The more peaceful and secure a country is, the more effectively it can implement environmental and social policies. As a result, the GPI is increasingly viewed as a vital indicator of a country's long-term potential for sustainable development.
Comprehensive methodology and criteria
The GPI is the world’s most comprehensive measure of peace. It uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess peace in three core domains:
- Societal safety and security
- Ongoing domestic and international conflict
- Militarisation
In the context of the GPI, a lower score indicates greater peace, while a higher score reflects more conflict, instability, or militarisation.
Top 10 most peaceful countries in 2025
- Iceland – Score: 1.095 – unchanged from last year
- Ireland – Score: 1.260 – unchanged
- New Zealand – Score: 1.282 – up 2 places
- Austria – Score: 1.294 – down 1 place
- Switzerland – Score: 1.294 – down 1 place
- Singapore – Score: 1.357 – unchanged
- Portugal – Score: 1.371 – up 1 place
- Denmark – Score: 1.393 – down 1 place
- Slovenia – Score: 1.409 – unchanged
- Finland – Score: 1.420 – up 1 place
10 least peaceful countries in 2025
- Mali – Score: 3.061 – down 1 place
- Israel – Score: 3.108 – unchanged
- South Sudan – Score: 3.117 – up 2 places
- Syria – Score: 3.184 – down 1 place
- Afghanistan – Score: 3.229 – down 2 places
- Yemen – Score: 3.262 – up 3 places
- Democratic Republic of Congo – Score: 3.292 – down 3 places
- Sudan – Score: 3.323 – up 2 places
- Ukraine – Score: 3.434 – down 3 places
- Russia – Score: 3.441 – down 2 places
Peace rankings among ASEAN countries
ASEAN member states continue to show wide disparities in peace levels, with several countries experiencing shifts in their GPI rankings this year.
These changes reflect evolving security conditions, internal and cross-border conflicts, and economic pressures in different parts of the region.
- Singapore – Rank 6 globally, 1st in ASEAN – Score: 1.357 – unchanged from last year
- Malaysia – Rank 13 globally, 2nd in ASEAN – Score: 1.469 – down 1 place
- Vietnam – Joint 38th globally, 3rd in ASEAN – Score: 1.721 – up 1 place
- Laos – Rank 47 globally, 4th in ASEAN – Score: 1.783 – down 3 places
- Indonesia – Rank 49 globally, 5th in ASEAN – Score: 1.786 – up 3 places
- Thailand – Rank 86 globally, 6th in ASEAN – Score: 2.017 – down 5 places
- Cambodia – Joint 87th globally, 7th in ASEAN – Score: 2.019 – down 12 places
- Philippines – Rank 105 globally, 8th in ASEAN – Score: 2.148 – up 6 places
- Myanmar – Rank 153 globally, 9th in ASEAN – Score: 3.045 – down 2 places
Iceland retains world’s most peaceful nation title for 17th consecutive year
The 2025 GPI confirms that Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world — a position it has held since 2008. Other countries that continue to rank highly include Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
Notably, all of these (except Switzerland) were also in the top 10 in the inaugural edition of the index.
In stark contrast, Russia has, for the first time, been ranked as the least peaceful country in the world. It is followed by Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Yemen.
At the regional level, Western and Central Europe continue to be the most peaceful regions globally, accounting for eight of the top ten countries in the index. However, the overall peace levels in this region have declined over the past four years.
Meanwhile, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains the least peaceful region in the world.
South Asia is ranked as the second least peaceful region and recorded the sharpest decline in peace over the past year. This was largely due to political crackdowns in Bangladesh under the Hasina government and rising internal unrest and cross-border tensions in Pakistan.
The only region to record an improvement in peace in the past year was South America, where seven out of eleven countries saw progress. Peru and Argentina reported the most significant improvements.
