Nigeria has been ranked 148th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index 2025, according to the latest report by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Okay.ng reports that the new rating keeps Nigeria in the lower tier of the global league table, reflecting ongoing pressures around public safety, localised conflict, and the cost of insecurity on households and businesses.
The Global Peace Index evaluates countries across three broad areas: Safety and Security, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and Militarisation.
Nigeria’s score was weighed down by incidents of armed violence and banditry in some regions, kidnapping for ransom, farmer–herder clashes, oil theft in the Delta, and pressure on local justice and policing systems.
Regionally, West Africa delivered mixed results. Coastal states such as Ghana and Benin remained significantly ahead of Nigeria on several indicators, while parts of the Sahel continued to record deteriorations linked to insurgency and cross-border violence.
For Nigeria, the index underscores how security efforts, economic reforms, and social programmes must work together to reduce everyday exposure to violence and restore investor confidence.
Globally, the 2025 edition reports another year of declining peacefulness, driven by active conflicts, higher defence outlays, and a rise in external involvement in wars.
Countries like Iceland stayed at the top of the table, while long-running conflicts kept some states at the bottom.
The report’s methodology remains consistent, drawing on 23 indicators sourced from respected international datasets and surveys to allow year-on-year comparison.
Policy experts say Nigeria’s pathway to a better score is clear. Priorities include professionalising community policing, expanding early-warning and mediation systems in flashpoint areas, speeding up criminal justice timelines, and investing in youth skills and jobs that shrink recruitment pools for violent groups.
Businesses, meanwhile, can deepen security compliance, support staff safety protocols, and use supply-chain risk mapping to lower operational exposure.
The Global Peace Index is widely used by governments, development partners, and investors to benchmark risk and target funding for peacebuilding.
For students and researchers, the 2025 ranking offers detailed country-by-country dashboards that help track progress on safety, conflict trends, and the economic impact of violence.
