Malaysia, Singapore, Japan Shine in 2026 Global Peace Index

By Danial Martinus • 25 Jun 2026 in News

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(source: Mega Caesaria / Unsplash & Redd Francisco / Unsplash)

It may come as no surprise to find out that Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan have been ranked among the most peaceful countries in the world in 2026, according to the latest edition of the Global Peace Index.

Produced by Australia-based non-partisan think tank, the Institute for Economics & Peace, the Global Peace Index examines 163 independent nations across three broad categories, which include Safety & Security, Ongoing Conflict, and Militarisation. They’re then given an overall score that determines their ranking.

Amid global political unrest and deadly conflict, the countries in this year’s top 20 are shaping up to be some of the best travel destinations too, seeing as how they’re pretty much (physically) isolated from most of the chaos being reported in the news as of late.

Bhutan, Malaysia, Japan, and Singapore are the only Asian nations to make the top 20

This year’s ranking sees several Asian countries’ positions fluctuating. Bhutan, which sits in 16th, saw a 0.4% year-on-year (YOY) increase in its score (lower score = higher rank). Up a few positions in 12th is Malaysia, which also saw a 0.6% increase, just barely missing out on the top 10.

Sitting squarely in 10th is Japan, which is the only Asian country in the top 20 to see a decrease in its YOY score at 1.5%, reflecting healthy improvement in this aspect.

Of course, the top performing Asian country on the list is Singapore, which sits comfortably in 8th place with a 0.1% increase.

If, however, you’re inclined to view this part of the world as Asia-Pacific and not strictly Asia, then the top performing country is actually New Zealand, which leaves everyone else in the dust in 2nd. Rounding out the top 20 is Australia.

Here’s the top 20 (and their overall scores) at a glance: