Afghanistan has once again been ranked as South Asia’s least peaceful country and one of the most insecure nations in the world, according to the Global Peace Index 2026 published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
The report places Afghanistan 157th out of 163 countries, indicating that the country remains near the bottom of global peace rankings despite some improvements in specific domestic indicators.
According to the assessment, Afghanistan’s overall level of peace deteriorated by 0.5 percent compared with the previous year. However, several internal measures showed modest improvement. The country’s safety and security indicator improved by 1.5 percent, while political stability increased by 10 percent.
Researchers at the Institute for Economics and Peace attributed these gains largely to the Taliban’s consolidation of political and security control across the country. The report suggests that the absence of an organized opposition movement and the suppression of political dissent have reduced the likelihood of large-scale internal unrest in the short term.
Despite these developments, the report warns that Afghanistan continues to face serious long-term challenges. Limited political participation, the concentration of power within a single governing structure, and ongoing international isolation remain significant threats to sustainable stability.
The study also recorded a 1.9 percent decline in the indicator measuring ongoing internal conflict. However, a 19.2 percent increase in fatalities linked to external conflicts negatively affected the country’s overall security environment.
The report identifies rising border tensions and clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan as key contributors to this trend, suggesting that Afghanistan’s security challenges are increasingly shifting from domestic conflict toward cross-border confrontations.
Afghanistan joins Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, Israel, and South Sudan among the countries ranked as the least peaceful in the world.
At the opposite end of the index, Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, and Austria were identified as the world’s most peaceful countries.
The findings come as the Taliban approach five years in power without formal recognition from most governments around the world. Afghanistan continues to face major political, economic, humanitarian, and security challenges, raising questions about the country’s long-term stability despite improvements in certain short-term indicators.
The report highlights a central contradiction in Afghanistan’s current situation: while centralized control has reduced some forms of internal instability, the absence of political inclusion, international legitimacy, and durable institutions continues to cast doubt on the country’s prospects for lasting peace.
