#London #United Kingdom #Geopolitics #Global Peace Index #Institute for Economics Peace

Global Peace Index 2025: An Unprecedented Decline in Global Peace

The latest report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on the Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2025 reveals alarming trends in global peacefulness. This year marks a significant drop in international stability, mostly attributed to an increase in global conflicts, escalating geopolitical tensions, and a troubling rise in violence across multiple regions of the world.

Key Findings of the Global Peace Index 2025

The GPI 2025 exposes a series of concerning findings:

• - The world is witnessing its lowest level of peace since the GPI's inception, with conditions leading to conflicts being the worst they've been since World War II.
• - There has been a continuous deterioration of peaceful conditions annually since 2014, affecting approximately 100 countries and leading to 59 active state-level conflicts - a staggering figure the highest recorded since the end of World War II.
• - The year 2024 saw 152,000 fatalities attributed to conflicts globally, with 17 countries reporting over 1,000 internal conflict-related deaths — the highest since 1999.
• - An observation of global power distribution indicates a paradigm shift towards increasing fragmentation, with the number of influential countries nearly tripling since the Cold War.

Rising Geopolitical Tensions

The report outlines that the rise of middle powers—such as Saudi Arabia, India, and South Africa—has redefined the global landscape. These countries have started to play increasingly influential roles regionally due to their growing economic clout. Simultaneously, concerns about a power struggle among major nations continue to loom, with asymmetric war technologies complicating traditional warfare.

In addition, escalating debt in fragile economies contributes to instability, heightening the risk of conflict. In 2024 alone, global economic impacts of violence reached an eyebrow-raising $19.97 trillion, accounting for an estimated 11.6% of worldwide GDP.

Regional Insights

From a regional perspective:

• - Western Europe remains one of the most peaceful areas globally, with Iceland topping the GPI since 2008. However, European nations, particularly France and the UK, are experiencing noticeable declines in international influence amid developmental setbacks.
• - In stark contrast, Russia has been marked as the least peaceful country for the first time, a stark assessment reflecting internal strife exacerbated by ongoing external conflicts.
• - North America has observed a significant decrease in peacefulness, largely attributed to the deterioration of relations between nations, particularly between Canada and the United States, amid rising political divisions.
• - The Middle East and North Africa continue to hold the title of the least peaceful region worldwide, with countries like Sudan and Syria intensifying their struggle with entrenched violence and instability.

Economic Burden of Violence

Violence has substantial economic implications, with countries deeply affected by conflict suffering GDP reductions of up to 30% within a year. The declining ratio of global investments in peacekeeping relative to military spending has reached problematic lows, standing at just 0.52% of total military expenditures in 2024. Nations must now grapple with the economic fallout stemming from violence, which goes beyond immediate human costs to include disruptions in trade, investment uncertainty, and infrastructure damage.

Future Outlook

As the report emphasizes, the world stands at a crucial juncture characterized by increasing fragmentation and dire needs for enhanced conflict prevention strategies. There is a marked urgency for nations to establish a cohesive approach towards managing conflicts as traditional models of diplomacy and conflict resolution face unprecedented challenges.

The rise of technology in warfare, with the proliferation of drone technology, presents additional complexities. The availability of affordable drones and progressive weapons systems facilitates sustained conflict even in the hands of smaller factions, diminishing the likelihood of decisive victories and prolonging warfare.

In conclusion, the GPI 2025 serves as a beacon for the urgent need for global leaders to reassess their strategies towards peace-building. Unless proactive and collaborative actions are taken to support stability and mitigate conflict drivers, the trajectory of global peace will only continue to decline further.

For individuals interested in reading the complete GPI report and interactive maps, they are available for access at visionofhumanity.org.