Global Peace Index 2026: in the bottom 5 – Israel and Ukraine – why they ended up together at the bottom of the “peacefulness ranking”

A new ranking showed not ‘dangerous countries’, but a map of global war

In June 2026, the Institute for Economics & Peace published the new Global Peace Index 2026 — one of the most well-known international rankings that measures the level of peace in countries. For Israeli and Ukrainian readers, one thing is especially important in this report: Israel, Ukraine were found next to each other at the bottom of the list.

This is not just statistics and not a reason for superficial headlines like ‘the most dangerous countries in the world’. The Global Peace Index does not assess tourist safety in a particular city or the moral ‘goodness’ of a state. It shows how much a country is under the pressure of war, internal and external conflicts, militarization, terrorism, instability, and threats to society.

That is why for NAnews — News of Israel, this ranking is important as a political and strategic signal. Israel and Ukraine live in different regions and fight different wars, but both countries have found themselves within one large global trend: aggressors, terrorist networks, and authoritarian regimes are once again making war a normal tool of politics.

What is the Global Peace Index 2026

Global Peace Index is released by the Institute for Economics & Peace through the Vision of Humanity platform. The 2026 ranking covers 163 countries and territories, which is almost the entire world.

The index is built on 23 indicators, which are grouped into three major blocks:

1. level of safety within society;
2. internal and international conflicts;
3. state militarization.

Factors such as political instability, terrorism, level of violence, military expenditures, a country’s participation in conflicts, relations with neighbors, refugees, internal population displacement, availability of weapons, and the role of the army in the life of the state are taken into account.

Therefore, a low place in the ranking does not mean that a country is ‘bad’. It means that the country lives under conditions of high conflict, threat, or war.

Where are Israel, Ukraine

In the lower part of the Global Peace Index 2026 are countries experiencing wars, civil conflicts, external aggression, or deep instability.

The main political detail here is obvious: Russia took the last, 163rd place. Ukraine is in 160th place, Israel — in 159th.

But these positions cannot be read the same way. Ukraine ended up at the bottom of the ranking due to full-scale Russian aggression. Israel — due to the war after October 7, the terrorist threat, the Iranian factor, and regional escalation. Russia, however, ended up last as a state that itself produces war, aggression, and instability.

Why Israel ended up so low

For many Israelis, the 159th place may seem painful. Israel is a strong state, with a powerful army, developed healthcare, a technological economy, stable institutions, and a high level of public mobilization. But the Global Peace Index measures not the strength of the state, but the level of peace.

After October 7, Israel lives in a reality of constant threat. The war against Hamas, the threat from Hezbollah, Houthi attacks, the Iranian factor, missile and drone threats, evacuation of residents from border areas, mobilization of reservists, increased military spending, and psychological pressure on society — all this reduces the peace indicator.

There is no contradiction here. A state can be strong and at the same time be very low in the peace ranking. Israel is just such a case: the country maintains the ability to defend itself, but the reality of war makes it one of the most tense states in the world.

Why Ukraine is next to Israel

Ukraine is next to Israel in the ranking for a different reason, but in the same logic of war and threat.

Since February 2022, Ukraine has been living under conditions of full-scale Russian aggression. These are daily missile and drone strikes, occupied territories, infrastructure destruction, millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, mobilization, huge military expenditures, and the constant threat of new attacks on civilian targets.

It is important to emphasize: Ukraine’s place at the bottom of the ranking is not an assessment of Ukrainian society as ‘non-peaceful’. It is a reflection of the scale of the war that Russia has brought to Europe.

Ukraine did not choose to be at the bottom of the Global Peace Index. Ukraine ended up there because it is defending itself, its cities, its statehood, and Europe’s security from the aggressor.

USA, China, Iran, and neighbors: what else the Global Peace Index 2026 shows

For a complete picture, it is important to look not only at Israel, Ukraine, and Russia, but also at the place of major global players, Israel’s neighbors, Ukraine’s neighbors, and Europe as a whole.

In the Global Peace Index 2026 the USA took 134th place out of 163. For a country that remains Israel’s main ally and a key player in global security, this is a low position. The report separately notes that the USA worsened its indicator by 4%, and one of the factors was political instability: the political instability indicator worsened by 38.5%, and the level of political violence reached its maximum since the 1970s.

China took 118th place. This is higher than the USA, Israel, Ukraine, and Russia, but still far from the top of the ranking. The report describes China as one of the players whose deterioration is associated with changes in militarization and tensions around the South China Sea. For Israeli and Ukrainian readers, not only the ranking line itself is important, but the overall conclusion: the world is entering a period where the rivalry between the USA, China, and Russia becomes part of a new global instability.

It is worth looking separately at Iran. It took 144th place. This is lower than most countries in the region and significantly closer to the bottom of the list. At the same time, the report emphasizes that the war around Iran, which began in 2026, is reflected in the index only partially, because some indicators have an earlier data cutoff period. This means that the real impact of Iranian escalation on future rankings may be even stronger.

Israel’s neighbors and the region around it

In Israel’s region, the picture looks like this:

This table clearly shows that Israel is not just in a ‘difficult area’, but in one of the most unstable regional spaces in the world. The Middle East and North Africa are named in the report as the least peaceful region in the world. Within this framework, Israel ended up lower than most neighbors not because it is weaker as a state, but because it is in a state of direct war, constant missile threat, high mobilization, and conflict with terrorist structures and their state sponsors.

The position of Iran — 144th place is especially important. It is not Israel’s neighbor by border, but the main strategic opponent in the region. Through Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other proxy forces, Iran influences Israel’s security much more strongly than many formal neighbors.

Ukraine’s neighbors

For Ukraine, the regional picture also explains a lot:

Here the contrast is even sharper. Ukraine’s western neighbors — Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania — are significantly higher in the ranking. Even Moldova, which lives next to Russian pressure and the Transnistrian problem, occupies 55th place. And Ukraine is in 160th place not because the region itself is ‘non-peaceful’, but because it is on Ukrainian territory that Russia is waging a full-scale war.

The main line here is Russia, 163rd place. It is the last in the world. This makes Ukraine’s position especially indicative: Ukraine is at the bottom of the ranking as a country defending itself from aggression, and Russia as a country that produces this aggression.

Who in Europe is the most peaceful and the least peaceful

In Europe, the most peaceful result is with Iceland — 1st place in the world. At the top of the ranking are also Switzerland — 3rd place, Slovenia — 4th, Ireland — 5th, Austria — 6th, Portugal — 7th, Finland — 9th. The official GPI 2026 materials separately indicate that Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world for 19 consecutive years, followed by New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Ireland.

The least peaceful country in Europe and at the same time in the whole world is Russia, 163rd place. Next among European countries is Ukraine, 160th place, but the political meaning of these two positions is opposite. Russia is at the bottom as an aggressor. Ukraine as a country that defends itself from the aggressor.

If we look at Europe without Russia and Ukraine, the most problematic in the ranking appear to be Turkey — 136th place, Belarus — 115th, France — 99th. But none of these countries approaches the scale of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has become one of the main factors in the global decline in peace.

Thus, the ranking shows an important contrast: Europe as a whole remains the most peaceful region in the world, but it is from Europe today that the most dangerous threat to global security comes — Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Russia in last place: the main contrast of the ranking

The most important line of the table is the last one. Russia took 163rd place, becoming the least peaceful country in the world in the Global Peace Index 2026.

This is fundamentally important for understanding the whole picture. Ukraine is at the bottom of the ranking because a war is being waged against it. Russia is in last place because it started and continues this war.

If Ukraine pays the price of aggression, then Russia acts as the source of this aggression. And this concerns not only Ukraine. Russian policy destroys Europe’s security, strengthens anti-Western regimes, cooperates with Iran, and maintains contacts with forces hostile to Israel.

For Israel, this is no longer an abstract European topic. Russia, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other participants in the anti-Western axis do not exist in separate vacuums. There are political, military, technological, and propaganda intersections between them.

Israel and Ukraine in one security framework

Israel and Ukraine are different countries, different wars, different historical circumstances. But the Global Peace Index 2026 shows that both countries have found themselves in one broad framework of global instability.

• Russia destroys Europe’s security.
• The Iranian axis destroys the security of the Middle East.
• Terrorist organizations exploit the weakness of the international order.
• Authoritarian regimes test how far they can go if the world does not respond harshly enough.

That is why support for Ukraine for Israel is no longer just a moral question. It is a question of strategic understanding: who today destroys international security, who helps Israel’s enemies, who normalizes aggression, and who is interested in the Western world being weak and divided.

The world is becoming less peaceful

The Global Peace Index 2026 also shows a broader trend: the problem is not limited to Israel, Ukraine, or Russia. The world as a whole is becoming less stable.

According to the report, the deterioration of peace indicators affected more countries than improvement. This means that the international system is entering a period of fragmentation: the number of conflicts is growing, militarization is increasing, regional wars are intensifying, and old containment mechanisms are working worse than before.

For the Israeli reader, this is important because Israel does not exist separately from the global system. The country’s security depends not only on the IDF but also on alliances, international support, relations with the USA, Europe, and countries that oppose the same sources of aggression.

Why this is not a ranking of ‘bad countries’

It is especially important not to allow a misreading.

Ukraine’s low place does not mean that Ukraine is ‘dangerous by nature’. It means that the country has become a victim of full-scale external aggression.

Israel’s low place does not mean that Israel is a ‘bad country’. It means that the state lives under conditions of war, terrorism, and constant regional threat.

But Russia’s last place has a different political nature. Russia is not just in a state of war. It is itself the initiator of the largest war in Europe since World War II, a source of destruction, and one of the main producers of global instability.

What this ranking means for Israel

For Israel, the Global Peace Index 2026 is not a reason for panic, but for a sober conclusion: security cannot be built only on military strength. Military strength is necessary, but it is not enough.

Israel needs a clear system of alliances. The USA remains the main ally. The European Union can and should be considered a strategic partner. Ukraine is becoming an important direction because it opposes the same logic of aggression that manifests itself in the Middle East.

By the elections in the fall of 2026, this topic may become politically significant. The party or bloc that first includes in its election program the new security formula — USA as the main ally, EU as a strategic partner, Ukraine as an important direction — may gain an advantage among Israelis who see a connection between Russian aggression, the Iranian axis, and threats to Israel.

What this rating means for Ukraine

For Ukraine, the Global Peace Index 2026 is neither a defeat nor a stigma. It is an international confirmation of the scale of the war that Russia has brought to Ukrainian soil.

Ukraine is at the bottom of the ranking not because Ukrainians do not want peace. On the contrary: Ukraine defends the right to peace, sovereignty, and security. But as long as Russia continues its aggression, Ukraine is forced to live in conditions that any international index will record as an extremely high level of conflict.

This is important to explain in Israel as well. The Ukrainian war is not a ‘distant European conflict.’ It is part of the same global struggle against aggression, terror, missile blackmail, and the destruction of international law.

Why NAnews pays attention to this

For NAnews — News of Israel, this rating is important not as a dry table, but as a way to show the connection between Ukrainian and Israeli security.

Israelis with Ukrainian roots understand this connection particularly well. They see how Russia destroys Ukrainian cities, how the Iranian axis threatens Israel, how terrorist organizations use war and chaos, and how it is becoming increasingly difficult for the democratic world to maintain unity.

It is important for the Israeli reader to see Ukraine not as a foreign topic, but as part of a common front line where the future of security is being decided — for Europe, the Middle East, and Jewish communities.

Main conclusion

The Global Peace Index 2026 shows not just a list of countries. It shows a map of the world where war, terrorism, militarization, and aggression are once again becoming the norm of international politics.

Israel and Ukraine ended up near the bottom of the ranking not because they are the same. They ended up nearby because both countries are under pressure from forces that do not recognize the right of others to security and sovereignty.

Ukraine defends itself against the Russian army. Israel defends itself against the terrorist and Iranian axis. Russia, occupying the last place, remains one of the main sources of this new global instability.

The main conclusion for Israel is simple: the Ukrainian war is not a foreign war. It is part of the same struggle in which it is decided whether the world will be governed by law and alliances, or by terror, missiles, and aggression.