Liberia has made significant strides in national peacefulness, rising to 70th place globally in the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), up six positions from last year. On the African continent, Liberia now ranks 10th, surpassing countries such as Malawi, Ivory Coast, and Rwanda. The improvement comes as the GPI notes a concerning overall decline in global peace.
Produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world's leading measure of peacefulness, ranking 163 countries and territories across three key domains: Societal Safety and Security, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and Militarization. The 2025 edition, the 19th of its kind, covers 99.7 percent of the world's population and presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis on trends in peace, its economic value, and strategies to build peaceful societies.
The report highlights troubling global trends, including rising militarization, increasing conflicts, and the internationalization of intrastate wars. According to IEP, there are currently 59 active state-based conflicts--the highest since World War II--with many countries increasingly drawn into conflicts beyond their borders. The resolution of conflicts has also fallen to its lowest level in 50 years, with decisive victories dropping from 49 percent in the 1970s to just nine percent in the 2010s.
Despite this global backdrop of instability, Liberia's improvement reflects steady progress in governance, societal safety, and security measures. "Liberia's rise in the Global Peace Index demonstrates that national commitment to peace and institutional strengthening can produce tangible results, even as global peacefulness deteriorates," the report notes.
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The 2025 GPI finds that global peace has deteriorated by 0.36 percent, marking the sixth consecutive year of decline. Seventy-four countries recorded improvements, while 87 deteriorated in peacefulness. Iceland retains the position as the world's most peaceful country, joined by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland. At the other end of the spectrum, Russia ranks as the least peaceful nation, followed by Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Yemen.
Africa's ranking reflects regional dynamics, with Liberia emerging as a standout performer. Its rise to 10th place on the continent underscores advances in positive governance, societal safety, and crime reduction. These improvements align with the GPI's "Safety and Security" indicators, which registered slight gains globally even as militarization and ongoing conflict worsened.
The report also highlights the economic implications of violence. In 2024, global violence had an estimated economic impact of $19.97 trillion, equivalent to 11.6 percent of world economic activity. Military and internal security expenditures accounted for more than 74 percent of this cost. By contrast, investments in peacebuilding and preventive measures remain disproportionately low, comprising just 0.52 percent of total military spending.
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Liberia's performance in the GPI illustrates the value of "Positive Peace"--the structures, attitudes, and institutions that sustain peaceful societies. Countries with high Positive Peace benefit from stronger economic growth, societal resilience, and reduced vulnerability to conflict. For Liberia, continued investment in education, healthcare, governance, and community cohesion will be essential to maintain and build upon this progress.
In context, Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland are ranked as the most peaceful countries globally, while Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Yemen occupy the bottom five positions. Liberia's improvement positions it ahead of African peers such as Malawi, Ivory Coast, and Rwanda, highlighting its progress in societal safety, governance, and institutional strengthening. The 2025 GPI also emphasizes that the average level of global peace has deteriorated for the sixth consecutive year, underlining Liberia's achievements amid worsening global conditions.
Liberia's upward movement amid declining global peace underscores the nation's resilience and progress. As the world faces increasing militarisation, conflicts, and geopolitical fragmentation, Liberia's continued improvement in peacefulness offers a model for regional stability and demonstrates that strategic national policies can make a difference even in challenging global conditions.
