Sri Lanka has emerged as one of South Asia’s strongest performers in global peacefulness rankings, recording a significant leap in this year’s Global Peace Index (GPI) despite broader regional instability.
According to the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Sri Lanka moved up to 67th place globally with an overall score of 1.91, marking a notable rise from its 97th position last year. Among South Asian nations, only Bhutan ranked higher.
The annual index evaluates 163 independent states and territories using 23 indicators across categories including personal safety, political stability, conflict, crime, terrorism, and militarisation.
Sri Lanka’s improvement stood out across the region, registering the largest percentage gain in South Asia with an overall score improvement of 2.3 per cent. Analysts attributed the progress largely to gains in militarisation indicators, which improved by 6.4 per cent. Increased performance in UN peacekeeping funding and a reduction in political instability also contributed to the country’s upward movement.
The rise comes against a difficult regional backdrop.
South Asia recorded the sharpest decline in peacefulness among all regions measured in the report, with average scores deteriorating by 2.3 per cent. Researchers pointed to intensifying internal conflicts and growing cross-border tensions as the primary causes of the downturn.
Five of the region’s seven countries recorded declines.
Bhutan remained the region’s most peaceful nation and ranked 16th globally, maintaining its position as a regional exception despite a slight deterioration compared with the previous year.
At the opposite end of the regional spectrum, Afghanistan continued to rank as South Asia’s least peaceful country, placing 157th globally.
India also recorded a decline, falling to 127th place after worsening conditions linked to internal conflict and strained relations with neighbouring countries. Pakistan experienced one of the steepest deteriorations globally, dropping to 152nd position amid escalating conflict indicators and rising terrorism-related deaths.
Globally, the report paints a challenging picture.
Researchers found that the world has become less peaceful for the twelfth consecutive year, with 61 active state-based conflicts currently underway — the highest number recorded since the end of the Second World War. In addition, 103 countries are now involved in external conflicts, nearly double the figure recorded in 2008.
At the top of the global rankings, Iceland retained its position as the world’s most peaceful country, followed by New Zealand and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Russia remained the least peaceful nation globally, joined at the lower end of the rankings by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. The United States was placed 134th.
Against a year marked by widening global tensions, Sri Lanka’s improved standing offers one of the region’s few signs of progress in an increasingly unsettled world.
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