Overview
- The Institute for Economics and Peace released the Global Peace Index on June 9 and found global peacefulness has declined for a twelfth straight year.
- The United States fell six places to 134th in 2026, a slide the IEP links to worsening political instability, violent demonstrations and public fears of politically motivated violence.
- Iceland retained the top spot for the 19th year in a row thanks to very low crime, no standing military and strong social cohesion, and the report lists New Zealand, Switzerland and Slovenia among the top ten.
- IEP measures 163 countries using 23 indicators across three domains—societal safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarization—and says the economic toll of violence averages about 2.2% of GDP in the ten most peaceful countries versus about 23.4% in the ten least peaceful.
- The report says state-based and internal conflicts are rising in many regions, which raises risks for trade, food costs and public safety and could push governments to spend more on security rather than public services.