The 10 most dangerous countries in the world

Yemen has been named the most dangerous country in the world in the Institute for Economics & Peace's annual Global Peace Index (GPI).

The country has fallen 24 places in the think tank's rankings since the inception of the index, largely due to violence by Houthi rebels. 

Iceland continued to be the most peaceful nation in the world, a position it has held since the inaugural index in 2008. Singapore was a new entrant into the top five. The UK fell two places, to 34th.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The report uses data to rank 163 countries based on societal safety and security, levels of militarisation, and involvement in international and domestic conflicts. Overall, global peacefulness decreased by 0.56% last year: the fifth consecutive decline, and the 12th in the last 16 years. 

Since last year, 97 countries have deteriorated in peacefulness, more than any year since the index was launched in 2008. 

Wars in Gaza and Ukraine were the primary drivers of the overall decline in peacefulness, but there are 56 active conflicts around the world, with 92 countries currently involved in military operations beyond their borders.

The world is "at a crossroads", said the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, which will host the report's European launch. "Without concerted effort, there is a risk of a surge in major conflicts."

Europe was again deemed the most peaceful global region – although it recorded its largest year-on-year increase in military expenditure since the GPI began.

Israel's ranking fell to an all-time low of 155th, the biggest deterioration in this year's GPI, due to its war in Gaza. Palestine recorded the fourth-largest deterioration of peacefulness in the world. Meanwhile, El Salvador saw the largest improvement, the result of an authoritarian crackdown by President Nayib Bukele. 

Last year was the second deadliest year for armed conflict in 30 years, with an estimated 162,000 fatalities around the world, more than half of them in Ukraine. If the death toll continues at its current trajectory for the rest of this year, it will be the highest number of conflict deaths in a single year since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. 

The Institute's founder and executive chairman, Steve Killelea, said the findings of the index "underscore the urgency for world leaders" to resolve minor conflicts before they escalate.

The 10 most peaceful countries in the world

1. Iceland
2. Ireland
3. Austria
4. New Zealand
5. Singapore
6. Switzerland
7. Portugal
8. Denmark
9. Slovenia
10. Malaysia

The 10 least peaceful countries in the world

1. Yemen
2. Sudan
3. South Sudan
4. Afghanistan
5. Ukraine
6. Democratic Republic of the Congo
7. Russia
8. Syria
9. Israel
10. Mali