Ghana’s peacefulness has deteriorated over the past year, according to the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), with the country falling six places to rank 61st globally. 

The report, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), also shows Ghana has dropped to the seventh position in the Sub-Saharan African region, down from fourth the previous year.

The 2025 GPI, which ranks 163 independent states and territories covering 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, found that global peacefulness declined for the sixth consecutive year.

Ghana’s overall score deteriorated, placing it behind regional leaders Mauritius (26th globally), Botswana (43rd), Namibia (50th), The Gambia (55th), Sierra Leone (57th), and Madagascar (59th).

Globally, Iceland retained its position as the most peaceful country for the 17th consecutive year, followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, and Switzerland. Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, and Finland rounded out the top ten.

The report noted that Ghana’s decline in peacefulness was reflected across multiple indicators, although it did not specify exact causes for the country’s drop. Regionally, Sub-Saharan Africa experienced an overall deterioration in peace, with half of the 44 countries in the region recording declines.

“There are now 97 countries in the world that are less peaceful now than they were at the inception of the index in 2008,” the report stated. Ghana is among those that have seen a decline since the index began.

The GPI uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure peace across three domains: Societal Safety and Security, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and Militarisation. The 2025 edition highlighted that ongoing conflicts, rising militarisation, and geopolitical fragmentation continue to drive global declines in peace.

Despite the challenging global context, the report also noted improvements in some areas, including perceptions of criminality and homicide rates in several countries.

Top 10 countries in the 2025 Global Peace Index;

1. Iceland 

2. Ireland

3. New Zealand

4. Austria

5. Switzerland

6. Singapore

7. Portugal

8. Denmark

9. Slovenia

10. Finland