SA ranked among 40 least peaceful nations

South Africa has ranked 124th out of 163 countries in the 2025 Global Peace Index , placing it among the 40 least peaceful nations in the world.

Though South Africa is up three positions since 2024, it remains classified as “medium risk”.

The annual index, released by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) on Wednesday, paints a grim global picture. It comes amid fresh conflict between Israel and Iran this week.

This year saw the biggest year-on-year decline in peacefulness since the index was launched in 2007, driven largely by armed conflicts, political instability and a rise in violent crime across multiple regions.

The IEP said the index revealed a continuing decline, with many key indicators that precede major conflicts higher than at any time since World War 2.

“Rising conflict deaths, accelerating geopolitical tensions and middle power assertiveness are driving ‘The Great Fragmentation’ — a fundamental reshaping of the global order and marking the emergence of a new geopolitical era. When combined with major power competition, asymmetric warfare technologies and mounting debt in fragile economies, the prospect for further conflict is high,” it said.

Countries ranking among the least peaceful include North Korea, the Central African Republic, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Mali, Israel, South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Ukraine due to ongoing conflict, instability or political unrest.

Countries including Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia and Finland, all maintained strong scores for safety, low crime and political stability.

The index found there are now 59 active state-based conflicts.

There were 17 countries with more than 1,000 internal conflict deaths in 2024, the highest since 1999 and a further 18 countries that recorded more than 100 deaths.

The concentration of global influence and power is shifting, with mid-level powers becoming more active and influential within their regions due to their rising wealth

The number of globally influential countries has nearly tripled since the end of the Cold War, rising from 13 to 34 by 2023.

Conflicts are becoming more internationalised, with 78 countries involved in conflicts beyond their borders in 2024.

The global economic impact of violence reached $19.97-trillion in 2024, equivalent to 11.6% of global GDP, with military expenditure alone accounting for $2.7-trillion.

“The world is at an inflection point, and the number of state-based conflicts is the highest since World War 2. Conflicts are becoming more difficult to win and increasingly expensive — at the same time, global investment in conflict prevention has dramatically reduced. Eighty-seven countries deteriorated in peacefulness in 2024 compared with 74 that improved. However, some indicators showed improvement in 2024, notably criminality and homicide rates, which continued their long-term trends.”

“Beyond the immense human suffering, conflict represents a substantial economic burden through the displacement, dislocated trade, business uncertainty and destruction of infrastructure. The global economic impact of violence reached $19.97-trillion in 2024, while the countries worst affected by conflict have recorded drops in GDP of up to 30% in a single year. Global expenditure on peacekeeping, relative to military expenditure, is at its lowest level in more than two decades — just 0.52% of total military spending in 2024,” the IEP said.

The concentration of global influence and power is shifting, with mid-level powers becoming more active and influential within their regions due to their rising wealth.

“This has led to a fragmentation of influence and increasing competition, often between themselves. Relations with neighbouring countries have deteriorated substantially in the last decade, with 43 countries deteriorating and only 10 improving.”

“There are now 34 countries with significant geopolitical influence in at least one other nation, compared to just 13 at the end of the Cold War. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, India, the UAE, Israel, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia have become influential regional powers,” the IEP said.

The IEP founder Steve Killelea said the concept of “forever wars” was more real than at any stage in history.

“This year's Global Peace Index shows that the world is at a critical inflection point with Global Fragmentation dramatically increasing. This is driven by rising middle-level powers, major power competition and unsustainable levels of debt burdens in the world's most fragile countries,” he said.

“This is leading to a fundamental realignment and a possible tipping point to a new international order, the nature of which still can't be fathomed.”