Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Latvia 19th in the world
The newly released Global Peace Index 2026 places Latvia among the world's 20 most peaceful countries, ahead of both Lithuania and Estonia, even as global peace levels decline for a 12th consecutive year.
The Institute for Economics and Peace has published its Global Peace Index 2026, ranking 163 countries and territories. Latvia placed 19th with a score of 1.589, putting it among the world's twenty most peaceful nations and ahead of its Baltic neighbours — Lithuania ranked 24th and Estonia 25th.
The index is built from 23 indicators grouped into three areas: societal safety and security, the extent of domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarisation. Latvia's proximity to the Russian and Belarusian borders, along with its rising defence spending, weighs on the militarisation-related criteria.
Most peaceful countries
Iceland tops the ranking for the 19th consecutive year, followed by New Zealand and Switzerland. The top ten also includes Slovenia, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Singapore, Finland and Japan — seven of the ten highest-ranked countries are in Europe.
Least peaceful countries
At the bottom of the table, Russia has fallen to last place — 163rd — for the first time, driven by its full-scale war against Ukraine and high militarisation. Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo follow, while Ukraine sits at 160th. Israel is also among the five least peaceful countries, alongside South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Mali.
A darkening global picture
Overall, global peacefulness fell by 0.7% over the past year, marking the twelfth consecutive year of decline. Peace levels worsened in 99 countries and improved in only 62. The world currently counts 61 active state-based or interstate conflicts, the highest number since World War II. The index's authors point to shifting global power balances, conflicts spilling across borders, refugee flows, and the growing use of autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence in warfare as key drivers.
