KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan ranked among the world’s six least peaceful and most insecure countries in 2025, the Global Peace Index showed, highlighting ongoing instability despite Taliban claims of nationwide security.
The 2025 Global Peace Index, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranked Afghanistan 158th out of 163 countries, making it the least peaceful nation in South Asia and one of the lowest-ranked globally.
Only a small group of countries recorded similarly low scores, including Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Russia, and Ukraine, all of which are affected by ongoing conflict, the index shows.
Within South Asia, Bhutan ranked as the most peaceful country, followed by Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, with Afghanistan at the bottom of the regional list.
The index shows that Afghanistan’s level of peacefulness deteriorated by 0.28% over the past year. It was the only country in South Asia to receive the worst possible scores across several indicators, including access to small arms, violent crime, political instability, political terror, refugees and internally displaced people, and military expenditure as a percentage of GDP.
The Institute for Economics and Peace said that while large-scale armed conflict has declined since the Taliban’s return to power, insecurity persists due to weak governance, humanitarian pressures, and continued political instability. It added that security conditions in Afghanistan cannot be assessed solely by the number of armed clashes.
According to the index, widespread access to weapons by armed groups, rising levels of violent crime, and large-scale internal and external displacement continue to undermine stability and place Afghanistan among the least secure countries worldwide.
The Global Peace Index, published annually, measures peacefulness using indicators related to internal security, political and social violence, and the extent of domestic and international conflict. Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria and Switzerland topped the 2025 rankings as the world’s most peaceful countries, reflecting high levels of political stability, economic resilience, and social cohesion.
The findings contradict Taliban claims that security has stabilized nationwide, with the index highlighting ongoing insecurity and significant political and economic challenges impacting daily life.
