Ghana drops to 61st on Global Peace Index, 7th in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
Ghana has recorded a significant decline in its standing on the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI), dropping six places to 61st globally.
The country has also fallen out of the top five most peaceful countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, slipping to seventh position.
The latest rankings, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), show Ghana now trailing regional leaders Mauritius (26th globally), Botswana (43rd), Namibia (50th), The Gambia (55th), Sierra Leone (57th) and Madagascar (59th). This shift reflects mounting domestic and regional challenges impacting stability.
Ghana’s fall in the 2025 index continues a worrying trend observed over the past five years. In 2024, the country ranked 55th globally and fourth in Sub-Saharan Africa, following a position of 51st globally in 2023. Just four years earlier, in 2021, Ghana was ranked 38th worldwide. This indicates a steady erosion of its peace score.
The GPI, which assesses levels of peacefulness across 163 nations based on factors such as societal safety, internal and external conflict and militarisation, has highlighted rising concerns in Ghana regarding domestic tensions.
Issues such as sporadic communal violence, security service capacity challenges and political polarisation are believed to have contributed to the country’s decline.
More broadly, the 2025 report notes that Sub-Saharan Africa as a region recorded an average peace score drop of 0.17 percent, with several countries experiencing increased conflict incidents and political unrest.
Despite this, nations such as Mauritius, Botswana and Namibia maintained their strong positions, underscoring the diverse trajectories within the region.
On a global scale, the report paints an even bleaker picture. Peace levels have fallen to their lowest since the index was first published in 2008.
Rising geopolitical conflicts, terrorism threats and state fragility have all contributed to this overall deterioration.
For Ghana, analysts say the latest ranking should serve as a wake-up call. While the country has long been viewed as a beacon of stability in West Africa, its recent decline signals vulnerabilities that could undermine its reputation if not addressed.
Strengthening security institutions, promoting inclusive governance and addressing socioeconomic pressures are among the measures experts recommend to halt the slide.
The IEP cautions that without deliberate interventions, Ghana and other Sub-Saharan African nations risk deeper challenges in maintaining peace and stability in the years ahead.
