Ethiopia ranked 138th out of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index (GPI), scoring 2.648 and improving by one position from the previous edition, according to the 2026 GPI published by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP).
In its report released over the weekend, the institute said despite the improvement, the country remains among those with lower levels of peacefulness globally with its internal conflicts accounting for this reputation.
The GPI assesses peacefulness through 23 indicators grouped into three areas: societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarisation.
The report’s assessment of Ethiopia is placed within its broader analysis of the Horn of Africa, which comprises Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and South Sudan. The IEP describes the region as an interconnected conflict system in which violence and instability can spread across borders through displacement, arms and combatant movements, illicit economies and the presence of armed groups.
For Ethiopia, the regional dynamics come amid continued insecurity and armed conflicts in parts of the country as well as tensions and security developments involving neighbouring states.
The GPI rankings placed Eritrea ranked 128th, Kenya 132nd and Djibouti 105th, while Somalia ranked 153rd, South Sudan 158th and Sudan 162nd.
The IEP said the Horn of Africa is particularly exposed to the cross-border effects of conflict because the region has multiple mechanisms through which violence can spread between countries. These include refugee flows, arms trafficking, the movement of combatants, illicit economic networks and the use of neighbouring territories by armed groups.
The 2026 index also found that global peacefulness deteriorated for the 12th consecutive year.
According to the IEP, 99 countries recorded deterioration in peacefulness while 62 improved, with the number of active state-based conflicts reaching its highest level since the end of the Second World War.
MG/as/APA