Canada ranks 14th most peaceful country as U.S. slips further
The Global Peace Index shows Canada retaining its position while the U.S. dropped to 134th due to rising political violence and declining safety.
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Canada remains among the world's 20 most peaceful countries while the United States has slipped further in global rankings, according to the latest Global Peace Index.
Canada retained its 14th place ranking for the second consecutive year with a peace score of 1.525, considered "high." Iceland topped the list with a score of 1.61, followed by New Zealand.
However, Canada's peace levels have shown slight decline. In 2025, the country scored 1.491. While safety and security improved slightly, violent demonstrations have increased, and ongoing conflict and militarization have both deteriorated.
"Despite the overall improvement, Canada's Safety and Security domain score has deteriorated over the longer term since 2008, deteriorating by 7.7 per cent," the report noted.
The United States fell significantly. In 2025, it ranked 128th with a score of 2.443. This year it dropped to 134th with a score of 2.535, placing it just behind Venezuela at 133rd and just ahead of Ecuador at 135th. The U.S. is now considered to have "low" levels of peace. The drop was attributed to deteriorating safety and security levels and the highest level of political violence since the 1970s.
Canada is the most peaceful nation in North and Central America, followed by Costa Rica and Jamaica. Globally, the average level of peace fell by 0.7 percent compared to 2025. Russia remains the least peaceful nation at 163rd.
"The world has become less peaceful over the past 18 years," the report stated. This year's report, now in its 20th edition, ranks 163 independent states and territories. It measures a country's level of negative peace using three domains: ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security (crime rates, terrorist activity, violent demonstrations, political stability), and militarization.