Selected Facts from the Global Peace Index 2026
Eighty years after the founding of the United Nations, the world is experiencing one of the least peaceful periods since the end of the Second World War.
The following facts are extracted directly from the Global Peace Index 2026, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Together, they provide a documented overview of the current state of global peace.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026 (Institute for Economics & Peace) PDF
Fact 1:
There are more conflicts in more places than at any point since World War II, and the death toll from conflict has risen accordingly.
Fact 2:
There are now more active state-based conflicts than at any point since the end of the Second World War, while the number of countries involved in external conflict has nearly doubled since 2008.
Fact 3:
This is the 12th consecutive year that global peacefulness has deteriorated, and the 15th deterioration in the last 18 years.
Fact 4:
There are now 119 countries that are less peaceful than they were in 2008.
Fact 5:
World military expenditure has risen for the 10th consecutive year.
Fact 6:
Internationalised intrastate conflicts are becoming more frequent, having increased by more than 175 per cent since 2010.
Fact 7:
The number of countries involved in at least one external conflict in the previous five years has risen from 59 in 2008 to 103 in the 2026 GPI.
Fact 8:
Global deaths from internal conflict have risen more than sixfold over the period, from around 29,000 in 2008 to over 181,000 in the past year, with a peak of more than 309,000 in 2023.
Fact 9:
The number of countries recording 1,000 or more conflict deaths in a single year has grown from eight in 2008 to 20 in the past year.
Fact 10:
There are eight clear conflict clusters around the world, with almost every single country in conflict being part of one of them.
Fact 11:
The refugees and IDPs indicator remains high, with 117 million people forcibly displaced globally as of 2025, equivalent to one in every 67 people on Earth.
Fact 12:
In 2025, the impact of violence on the global economy amounted to $21.8 trillion in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.
Fact 13:
This is equivalent to 10.5 per cent of global GDP, or $2,657 per person.
Fact 14:
The economic impact of violence has increased year on year for 15 of the past 17 years.
Fact 15:
Expenditure on peacebuilding and peacekeeping totalled US$49.2 billion in 2025, the equivalent of just 0.5 per cent of total military spending in PPP terms.