World peace is seriously in decline, with rising geopolitical tensions and the greater number of active conflicts since the Second World War, a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) announced today.

The Global Peace Index 2025 compiled by the IEP, an Australia-based think tank, indicates that world peace has declined for the 12th consecutive year, reaching its lowest level since the end of the Second World War.

The IEP, which makes this assessment based on several indicators, including levels of violence, conflict, and militarization, warns that the likelihood of new conflicts breaking out is high due to competition between great powers, war technologies, and the rising debt of more fragile economies.

According to the index, world peace has deteriorated every year since 2014, at a time when there are 59 active military conflicts, the highest number since the end of World War II (1939-1945).

The study, which began in 2008, highlights that 152 people died due to conflicts recorded in 2024 alone. According to the index, conflicts are increasingly international, with 78 countries involved by the end of 2024. According to IEP calculations, 87 countries experienced a deterioration in peace in 2024, compared to 74 that improved.

“This year's Global Peace Index shows that the world is at a critical turning point, with global fragmentation increasing dramatically.”

“This is due to the rise of middle powers, competition between great powers, and unsustainable debt levels in the world's most fragile countries.”

“This situation is leading to a fundamental realignment and a possible turning point towards a new international order”.

Steve Killelea, founder and executive director of the IEP, was quoted by international agencies.

The global economic impact of this violence reached $19,97 billion (around €17 billion) in 2024, equivalent to 11,6% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the index points out, warning that conflicts are becoming increasingly costly and difficult to overcome.

In addition to human suffering, conflicts pose a substantial economic burden due to displacement, impact on trade, business uncertainty, and the destruction of infrastructure, the report highlights.

The concentration of influence and power is shifting, threatening world peace, with 34 countries now having significant geopolitical influence over at least one other country, compared to just 13 at the end of the Cold War.

In a broad geographic portrait, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, India, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia have become influential regional powers.

South America was the only region to improve in terms of peace, with Peru seeing the biggest improvement, driven by reduced civil unrest, and Western and Central Europe remaining the most peaceful region in the world.

France and the United Kingdom have suffered the largest declines in influence, the report notes, adding that for the first time, Israel is the least peaceful country in the world, followed by Russia and Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen.

The MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) is the least peaceful in the world, especially Israel, Syria, Sudan and Yemen, while Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the most countries in conflict, with 35 of the 43 nations involved in at least one conflict in the last five years.

The report also gives reason to the United States Military Commander in Africa (AFRICOM), the General Michael Langley, when he stated that the Sahel is the world epicenter of terrorism.

South Asia has also seen a further deterioration of peace, a situation driven by repressive measures in Bangladesh and civil unrest and conflict between Pakistan and India.

The world is at a critical turning point, with global fragmentation accelerating at an alarming rate. This deterioration is due to the rise of middle powers, competition between great powers, and unsustainable debt levels in the most fragile economies.

The international order is facing a profound realignment, with Sub-Saharan Africa emerging as the region with the most nations in conflict. The Middle East remains the least peaceful region, and the Sahel is confirmed as the global epicenter of terrorism.

With this bleak outlook and the escalation of war this year, particularly the military escalation between Israel and Iran, there is no doubt that world peace is severely at risk. The international community now faces the imperative of rethinking cooperation structures to stem this spiral of global conflict.