Britain plummets in rankings for world's safest country as Global Peace Index 2026 revealed

Britain has plummeted down the rankings for the world's safest country in the Global Peace Index 2026.

The index is the world's leading measure of peace and examines 163 countries and territories through indicators such as as safety, security, conflict and militarisation.

The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) - who created the index - discovered that the world had "continued its longstanding trajectory of deteriorating peacefulness, with armed conflict the dominant driver of the decline".

It found that there are now more state-based conflicts today than at any point since the Second World War ended.

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The number of external conflicts has also spiked by almost double since 2008.

The UK has sunk from the 35th safest country in the world last year to 39th today.

Meanwhile, Poland was identified as the biggest riser in Europe, jumping up to 22nd in the table.

Iceland, New Zealand and Switzerland made up the three safest countries on Earth.

While the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Russia were the three most dangerous.

The index also found that seven of the eight global regions saw their peacefulness decline in the past year, with improvements only being recorded in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

And it laid bare the decline of Europe's influence in the 21st century.

It noted that between 1995 and 2023, Germany’s share of global GDP fell by 49 per cent, France by 44 per cent, Italy by 42 per cent, and Britain by 27 per cent.

According to the index, the gap is being filled by so-called "middle powers" - including the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey and Mexico.

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Addressing Britain, the report said: "The United Kingdom recorded a deterioration of three per cent on the 2026 GPI, falling to 39th globally and 25th in the region.

"The deterioration was driven primarily by the ongoing conflict domain, which increased by 11.2 per cent.

"The intensity of internal conflict indicator deteriorated by 25 per cent, while the external conflicts fought indicator also deteriorated by 25.4 per cent.

"The UK maintained a significant overseas military presence through 2025, including operations in the Gulf, the Red Sea, and contributions to Nato’s eastern flank.

"The June 2025 Strategic Defence Review prioritised warfighting readiness with a Nato-first approach, while the country withdrew its permanent maritime presence from the Middle East for the first time since 1980."

The index also discussed the ongoing conflict in Iran, noting that a successful diplomatic conclusion could be worth more than $2trillion to the global economy.

It said: "Annual global GDP losses from the war would total $1.3trillion under a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but would amount to $3.5trillion if the war resumes.

"The impact of the Iran war on food production is yet to be fully felt.

"Gulf states supply 45 per cent of global sulphur and 50 per cent of global urea - the reduction in supply hits as Q2 2026 planting begins across South Asia and East Africa, so the harvest shortfall will hit in late 2026 and early 2027.

"The full economic impact of the Iran war might not be felt until the end of the year."

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