Peace is defined as a type of freedom: freedom from unnecessary stress, strife, hostility, disturbance, war, violence or civil disorder; and a utopia of quiet, tranquility, harmony, serenity and security…
What Are the Most — and Least — Peaceful Countries in the World?
…so which countries set the best — and worst — examples of the definition of peace?
According to the Vision of Humanity — which is created by an organization called the Institute for Economics & Peace — Iceland is the most peaceful country of 163 countries in the year 2025; while Russia is the least peaceful.
In 2025, the United States ranks 128 out of 163 countries overall. Compare that to 2016, when the United States ranked 103 out of 163 countries overall, with a national cost of violence estimated at $2,028,740,716,654.
You read that correctly: that number back in 2016 was greater than two trillion dollars.
The decline in global peacefulness continues in 2025, with many key indicators that precede major conflicts higher than at any time since World War II.
For additional information, you can download a copy of the 2025 Global Peace Index, which is a Portable Document Format consisting of 120 pages. Other documents are available which you can download as well.
You can also view this interactive map to compare statistics among 163 countries for yourself.
The Global Peace Index covers 99.7 percent of the population of the world; and is calculated using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources — as well as measures the state of peace across three domains, which include the:
- Level of societal safety and security
- Extent of ongoing domestic conflict and international conflict
- Degree of militarization
Final Boarding Call
I tend to take reports such as this one not too seriously, as being the victim of a crime or experiencing danger in Iceland and not in Russia is possible — based on myriad factors; as well as the circumstances of the moment — but I find reports such as this one interesting just the same…
…and if not Iceland and Russia, then how about the United States and Uruguay, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Egypt, and Türkiye — respectively ranked 128 and 48, 51, 63, 107, and 146? Choose any two or more countries to compare.
Complete peace is only part of the answer, as the world will never be dispelled of conflicting opinions — nor should that happen. Conflict — when handled properly and appropriately — is an opportunity for learning and the broadening of knowledge amongst all of us. How many times have you had an opinion about something — only to have it change when you found out about a point of view from another person about which you had not thought?
I have expressed my vehement belief that travel is a critical element in mitigating the fallacies and misnomers which contribute to ignorance and stereotypes. We must learn from each other; find out how each other is different and why; have thoughtful conversations discussed while breaking bread; and proactively let our fellow human beings know that we accept them for who they are — while simultaneously denouncing inexcusable and unacceptable behavior which does nothing but exacerbate the violence and hatred in this world.
All photographs ©2017 and ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
