Australia comes in at 18th in the rankings, the UK in 30th, and the US is all the way down in 128th.
The war-ravaged Ukraine sits at 162, while Russia sits at the bottom of the 163-country ranking.
National MP Judith Collins lauded the achievement, adding, “Not to mention, the universally most beautiful and friendly”.
The GPI report found the world continued to be a less peaceful place with global conflicts on the rise and military spending increasing.
“Many of the leading factors that precede major conflicts are higher than they have been since the end of WWII,” the report said.
“More countries are increasing their levels of militarisation against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, increasing conflict, the break-up of traditional alliances and rising economic uncertainty.”
The report also found there were currently 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of World War II and three more than in 2024.
The Asia-Pacific region was ranked the second most peaceful region in the world, a position it has held since 2017.
Western and Central Europe was ranked the most peaceful region and is home to eight of the 10 most peaceful countries in the world
David Williams is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.
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