The country has also been ranked second in South Asia, reflecting an improvement in its overall peace and stability indicators compared to the previous year.
Afghanistan remained the least peaceful country in South Asia, ranking 157th globally. Although it recorded only a slight deterioration of 0.5 percent, the report highlighted significant shifts across several peace indicators.
Sri Lanka's improvement was largely driven by gains in the militarisation domain, which improved by 6.4 percent. The country’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping funding increased significantly, with the relevant indicator improving by 40.8 percent.
The Safety and Security domain also improved by 1.8 percent, supported by a 25 percent improvement in the political instability indicator.
The Global Peace Index, a widely recognized measure of national peacefulness, evaluates countries based on safety and security, ongoing conflict, and levels of militarization.
Globally, the report notes that the world has become less peaceful for the 12th consecutive year, with 61 active state-based conflicts currently underway the highest number since the end of World War II.
According to the 2026 Global Peace Index, Iceland remains the world's most peaceful country, followed by New Zealand and Switzerland.
