The 10 Least Peaceful Countries in the World in 2026
Russia is the least peaceful country in the world for the second year in a row. Four of the bottom 10 are in Africa, and half of them became slightly more peaceful in 2026 even as the world as a whole grew less peaceful.
Quick Answer
Russia is the least peaceful country in the world in 2026, ranked 163rd of 163 on the Global Peace Index with a score of 3.367. Sudan (3.195), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.189), Ukraine (3.184) and Israel (3.124) complete the bottom five. Four of the ten least peaceful countries are in Africa and three are in the Middle East.
This ranking uses the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2026 from the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), which scores 163 countries and territories on 23 indicators covering safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation. Scores run from 1 to 5, and a higher score means a less peaceful country. This list counts down the ten lowest-ranked countries, from 154th to 163rd. It is the companion to our ranking of the most peaceful countries, where Iceland leads with a score of 1.161.
Less peaceful does not always mean getting worse
Five of the ten countries on this list became slightly more peaceful in 2026 by IEP's measure: Russia, the DR Congo, Ukraine, Israel and Yemen. The other five — Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria and Mali — deteriorated. Even with those improvements, all ten remain at the bottom of the index, and IEP says the Middle East and North Africa is still the least peaceful region in the world.
Global Peace Index 2026 score (higher = less peaceful)
Source: Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2026Tap any country to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #10 to #1
Mali
GPI rank 154 of 163 · worsened- Global Peace Index score:
- 2.996
- Category:
- Africa
Mali scores 2.996 and ranks 154th, unchanged from last year, though its score worsened by 0.056 points. IEP says the Sahel region continues to record some of the world's highest death tolls from terrorism.
Citing UN figures, IEP reports more than 9,000 deaths from security incidents across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in 2025.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Syria
GPI rank 155 of 163 · worsened- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.067
- Category:
- Middle East
Syria scores 3.067 and ranks 155th, unchanged from last year. IEP says the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024 opened a path toward political transition.
According to IEP, more than a million refugees had begun returning to Syria by late 2025.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Yemen
GPI rank 156 of 163 · up 2 places- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.081
- Category:
- Middle East
Yemen scores 3.081 and ranks 156th, up two places from last year after its score improved by 0.067 points.
Yemen is one of three Middle Eastern countries in the bottom 10, alongside Syria and Israel.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Afghanistan
GPI rank 157 of 163 · worsened- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.106
- Category:
- Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan scores 3.106 and ranks 157th. Its score worsened by 0.5%, with its Ongoing Conflict score deteriorating by 1.9%.
IEP credits the Taliban's consolidation of control with lower political instability, but flags exclusionary governance and continued international isolation.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
South Sudan
GPI rank 158 of 163 · down 2 places- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.116
- Category:
- Africa
South Sudan scores 3.116 and ranks 158th, down two places from last year after its score worsened by 0.034 points.
South Sudan sits just 0.008 points behind Israel, one of the closest gaps in the bottom 10.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Israel
GPI rank 159 of 163 · up 1 place- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.124
- Category:
- Middle East
Israel scores 3.124 and ranks 159th, up one place. Its score improved by 2.6%, mainly because of a 6% improvement in Safety and Security.
IEP notes that the ceasefire of October 2025 remained fragile, with more than 2,000 violations documented through March 2026, and that the index largely does not capture the war with Iran that began in February 2026.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Ukraine
GPI rank 160 of 163 · up 2 places- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.184
- Category:
- Europe
Ukraine scores 3.184 and ranks 160th, up two places. Its overall score improved by 3.6%, driven by gains in Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security.
IEP says the fundamental question of territorial control in eastern Ukraine remains unresolved.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
DR Congo
GPI rank 161 of 163 · improved- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.189
- Category:
- Africa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 3.189 and ranks 161st, unchanged from last year. Its score improved by 3%, with gains in all three areas the index measures.
Despite those gains, IEP describes the conflict situation in the DR Congo as still among the most severe in the world.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Sudan
GPI rank 162 of 163 · down 3 places- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.195
- Category:
- Africa
Sudan scores 3.195 and ranks 162nd, down three places. IEP says many of its indicators were already at or near their worst possible scores, and deaths from internal conflict rose 13.1%.
IEP cites estimates that the war has killed about 150,000 people and displaced nearly 13 million since April 2023.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
Russia
GPI rank 163 of 163 · last for the second year- Global Peace Index score:
- 3.367
- Category:
- Europe
Russia scores 3.367 and ranks 163rd of 163, the least peaceful country in the world for the second year in a row. Its Militarisation score worsened by 5.8%, with military spending of just over US$190 billion, while its Ongoing Conflict score improved by 3.9%.
Russia is 0.172 points behind Sudan in second-to-last place, the largest gap between any two countries in the bottom 10.
Source: IEP, Global Peace Index 2026
What the numbers tell us
Four of the ten least peaceful countries are in Africa (Sudan, DR Congo, South Sudan and Mali), three in the Middle East (Israel, Yemen and Syria), two in Europe (Russia and Ukraine) and one in Asia-Pacific (Afghanistan). Half of the bottom 10 became slightly more peaceful in 2026, but all ten remain far below the global average.
- Data period:
- Global Peace Index 2026; IEP report released June 9, 2026
- Last updated:
- October 24, 2026
- Sources:
- Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2026 report; Visual Capitalist; Ukrainian News for Russia's ranking in consecutive years
Countries are ranked by their overall Global Peace Index 2026 score, where a higher score means a less peaceful country. This list shows the ten lowest-ranked of the 163 countries and territories in the index, from 154th to 163rd. Rank and score changes compare the 2026 index with the 2025 edition as published by IEP; a lower score means improvement. Regional groupings follow IEP's. Score gaps and counts are our own calculations from IEP's published scores.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Russia, which ranks 163rd and last on the 2026 Global Peace Index with a score of 3.367. It has been last for two years in a row.