Sri Lanka has been ranked 67th in this year’s (2026) Global Peace Index (GPI) conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Sri Lanka, with an overall score of 1.91, is only behind Bhutan in the South Asian region.

According to the report, South Asia recorded the worst deterioration in peacefulness on the 2026 GPI, with the average overall score deteriorating by 2.3 per cent. The region is ranked seventh of the eight GPI regions. Five of the seven countries in the South Asian region deteriorated, with only two recording improvements. The deterioration was driven overwhelmingly by the Ongoing Conflict domain, which recorded the largest change at 7.1%, reflecting escalating internal conflicts and cross-border tensions across the Sub-Continent. The Safety and Security domain was relatively stable, while the Militarisation domain recorded a small average deterioration.

Sri Lanka recorded the largest percentage improvement in the region on the 2026 GPI, with its overall score improving by 2.3%. Sri Lanka’s improvement was driven by the Militarisation domain, which improved by 6.4%, with the United Nations peacekeeping funding indicator improving by 40.8%. The Safety and Security domain also improved by 1.8%, driven by a 25% improvement in the Political Instability indicator.

The researchers point out that the world has become less peaceful for the 12th consecutive year. A total of 103 countries are currently involved in an external conflict, nearly twice as many as in 2008.

The report annually ranks the level of peace and security in 163 independent countries and territories. The index is based on 23 indicators, including Security, Conflict, and Militarisation.