Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Iceland as the world’s most peaceful country for the 19th consecutive year, while Finland enters the top ten and the Nordic countries remain broadly high in the global ranking, despite wider concerns over conflict, militarisation and political instability.
Iceland remains first as Europe dominates the top ten
The latest Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace, ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. The index measures peace across three main areas: societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarisation.
In the 2026 ranking, Iceland remains in first place with a score of 1.161. It is followed by New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia and Ireland. The rest of the top ten includes Austria, Portugal, Singapore, Finland and Japan.
The top ten is therefore still strongly European. Seven of the ten highest-ranked countries are in Europe, with New Zealand, Singapore and Japan completing the group. Western and Central Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world, even though the report says it recorded a deterioration over the past year.
Iceland’s position is especially stable. According to the report, the country has held first place for 19 consecutive years. The Institute for Economics & Peace links this result to Iceland’s absence of a standing military, low crime levels and strong social cohesion.
The top ten in the Global Peace Index 2026
The ten most peaceful countries in the Global Peace Index 2026 are:
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Ireland
- Austria
- Portugal
- Singapore
- Finland
- Japan
Several countries moved slightly compared with the previous year. Finland rose by one place, while Japan moved up three positions to enter the top ten. Denmark, which ranks 11th, fell two places but remains among the highest-ranked countries worldwide.
At the other end of the index, Russia ranks last, in 163rd place. It is preceded by Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine and Israel. The United States of America ranks 134th, close to several countries affected by severe political instability or armed conflict.
The Nordic rankings show a wider gap than usual
The Nordic countries in the Global Peace Index 2026 all remain in the upper part of the ranking, but the differences between them are significant.
Iceland is first globally and first among the Nordic countries. Finland ranks ninth, improving by one place compared with the previous year and entering the global top ten. Denmark is 11th, just outside the top ten. Norway ranks 33rd, while Sweden is 40th.
This places all five Nordic countries in the top quarter of the index. However, the distance between Iceland and the other Nordic countries is notable. Finland and Denmark remain close to the very top of the ranking, while Norway and Sweden are still high by global standards but further away from the leading group.
The report also shows how security perceptions in the Nordic region are shaped by broader European trends. Denmark, Norway and Sweden are among the countries affected by rising defence spending, a factor linked to the wider European response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and NATO’s new security commitments.
Finland reaches ninth, but the story is not only Finnish
Finland’s ninth place attracted attention in Finnish media, partly because the country improved by one position compared with the previous year. It is now ahead of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the global ranking.
However, the broader picture is not a Finnish exception. Finland’s result fits into a wider pattern in which smaller European countries with strong institutions, low internal conflict and high levels of public safety continue to perform well in the global peace ranking.
Finland’s position also comes at a time of changing security policy. Since joining NATO in 2023, the country has adapted to a new defence and alliance framework, while continuing to rank among the world’s most peaceful states. The index does not measure safety only through military exposure, but through a broader combination of internal security, conflict involvement and militarisation indicators.
Global peace continues to deteriorate
The report’s main finding is not the strength of the safest countries, but the continued decline in global peacefulness. According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, the average level of global peace deteriorated by 0.7 per cent over the past year. This is the 12th consecutive year of decline.
The deterioration is mainly linked to armed conflict. The report says there are now more active state-based conflicts than at any point since the end of the Second World War. It also notes that 99 countries became less peaceful over the past year, while 62 improved.
The number of countries involved in external conflict has also increased sharply over time. The report says 103 countries were involved in at least one external conflict in the previous five years, compared with 59 in 2008.
Military spending is another major factor. The report says global military expenditure reached a record level in 2025, with much of the recent increase concentrated in Western and Central Europe. This trend partly reflects the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the wider rearmament of European NATO members.
Drones and AI add new risks to modern conflict
The 2026 report gives particular attention to the role of drones and artificial intelligence in warfare. It says drone attacks rose sharply between 2018 and 2025 and describes drones as one of the defining weapons of modern war.
The report also warns that AI-enabled systems are reducing the time between identifying a target and launching an attack. This raises concerns about the erosion of meaningful human oversight in lethal decision-making.
For Nordic and European countries, this finding is not abstract. It comes as governments are increasing defence spending, expanding military preparedness and discussing how to regulate emerging technologies in warfare. The issue is likely to remain central to EU and NATO debates on security, defence procurement and international law.
A peaceful region in a less peaceful world
The Global Peace Index 2026 confirms that the Nordic countries remain among the world’s more peaceful states, with Iceland still setting the global benchmark and Finland joining the top ten.
At the same time, the ranking shows that peace is becoming more uneven. The most peaceful countries remain relatively stable, while conflict-affected countries are deteriorating more quickly. This widening gap is one of the report’s central warnings.
For the Nordic region, the result is therefore mixed. Iceland, Finland and Denmark remain close to the top of the global ranking, and Norway and Sweden remain high by international standards. But the wider context is less reassuring: rising militarisation, more active conflicts and the spread of AI-enabled warfare suggest that even highly peaceful countries are operating in a more fragile global environment.
