In this article, we will be looking at the 30 least peaceful countries in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to 5 Least Peaceful Countries in the World.
An unpeaceful environment can encourage violence, mob culture, economic instability, and push back foreign investments. In an era impacted by climate change, extreme poverty, and escalating geopolitical tensions, the world is becoming increasingly riddled with instability and conflicts.
The Global Unrest
Countries with multidimensional poverty and food scarcity are more prone to civil unrest and increasing agitation. Some of the poorest countries in the world are also the least peaceful countries. Yemen, Central African Republic, Malawi, Syria, South Sudan, and Sudan are among many countries with low GDP per capita and high poverty rates.
The war in Gaza has had an immense impact on global peacefulness, with Israel continuing its aggression on Palestine. According to the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024 report by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), Israel and Palestine have the first and fourth largest deterioration in peacefulness in 2024, respectively. As per the Geneva-based human rights monitor organization, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, approximately 70,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza between October 7 and April 24. This far surpasses the combined attacks of Dresden, Hamburg, and London during World War II. To add further to the context, Israel’s bombing of Gaza is 4.6 times stronger in total explosives than the Hiroshima bombing.
Over the last 16 years, the world has become less peaceful, with the average country score deteriorating by 4.5% since 2008, the year GPI began its research. Out of the 163 countries in the GPI, 95 recorded deteriorations, 66 recorded improvements and two remained unchanged between 2008 and 2023. In 2023, the average global peacefulness level declined by 0.56%, recording the 12th downward trend in peacefulness in the last 16 years. Almost 97 countries dropped points and ended up less peaceful compared to 65 countries improving in peacefulness in 2023. This marks the highest number of countries to record maximum deterioration in peacefulness in a single year since the inception of the GPI.
The gap between the most and least peaceful countries is now wider than at any point in the last 16 years. The 25 most peaceful countries were 1% more peaceful in 2024 and the 25 least peaceful countries were 7.5% less peaceful in 2024, compared to 2008. Almost 100 countries have been involved in some form of external conflict in the past five years, up from 59 in 2008. In addition, these countries offered some form of support to an existing government against internal armed rebels or terrorist groups. The increasing violence has had a massive impact on the global economy. Ukraine is one of the countries with enormous falls in GDP due to violent conflicts and war. Ukraine’s economy shrank by an estimated 30% in 2022.
In 2023, the economic impact of violence on the global economy was over $19.1 trillion in GDP (PPP), almost 13.5% of the world’s economic activity, or $2,380 per person. Military and internal security expenditures account for nearly 74% of the total economic impact of violence. The economic impact of military spending was over $8.4 trillion in 2023. Wars are a big reason for the increase in military expenditure. There has been a significant rise in both conflicts and battle deaths in the past two decades, with battle deaths reaching 30-year high in 2022.
Countries are focused on improving their defense capabilities and fighting against any form of terrorism. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global defense market is estimated to have reached over $2 trillion in 2023. The market is anticipated to reach $2.54 trillion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.9% between 2024 and 2028. New military technologies and government initiatives are increasing the development of military modernization programs. Moreover, rising internal and external security threats are all major factors leading to a positive outlook for the global defense market. This means that there are significant opportunities for corporations operating in the defense industry.
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The Defense Industry Kingpin
Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is the largest global aerospace, arms, defense, and technology corporation, with a market capitalization of $134 billion, as of September 5. The company is responsible for leading the F-35 production effort. Lockheed’s other famous productions include the U-2 and F-22. Lockheed Martin is working with more than 50 countries worldwide, assisting governments in protecting their national interests to strengthen their economies and industries. The company has over 350 facilities worldwide that help in achieving its goals.
The rising violent conflicts that occurred in the past few years in different regions across the world have led more nations to invest heavily in defense products. With solid market growth projections and rising tensions in the Middle East, Europe, and Taiwan, Lockheed should benefit from it. LMT’s Missiles and Fire Control unit offers decent combat-proven air and missile defense systems along with tactical missiles, apart from MLRS. Moreover, these include Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, and a few more missile programs. The company has recently received a $3.43 billion modification contract from the US Army to manufacture surface-to-surface weapon systems for the service branch. The work on the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System supply contract is expected to be completed by October 2027.
On August 28, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) announced that it presented Poland’s first F-35A Lightning II to the Polish government during a rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production facility. With that, F-35s are now operating from 32 bases globally, while LMT has delivered more than 1,000 F-35s to date.
In the recent earnings update, LMT surpassed its EPS estimates by quite a margin. During Q2 2024, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) posted earnings per share of $7.11, surpassing the consensus estimates of $6.45. The revenue came in at $18.12 billion, with a surprise of 6.52%. Here are some of the comments from LMT’s Q2 2024 earnings call:
“Over the past few months, Lockheed Martin’s people, systems, and platforms have again demonstrated their ability to enhance security in Eastern Europe, the Red Sea, and the Middle East. From the PAC-3s critical role in air defense, to the Aegis Combat System with AI augmentation to the F-35 of this advanced sensor and data management capabilities, our company has made major contributions to Allied and Partner defense.
Consequently, demand for our defense technology solutions remains robust, with a backlog of nearly $160 billion greater than two times our annual revenue. Our strong performance so far in 2024 extends beyond blast backlog as well giving us confidence to raise our 2024 full year outlook for sales, segment operating profit, and EPS. In the second quarter, sales increased 9% year-over-year and 5% sequentially and reflected growth in all four of our business segments. The supply chain continues to improve and defense outlays also continue to increase. Our focus on operational execution helped us achieve segment operating margins of 11.3%, up 20 basis points compared to last year’s second quarter, and free cash flow of more than $1.5 billion, an increase both year-over-year and sequentially.”
LMT has a dividend yield of 2.19%, as of September 5, with a dividend-paying history since 1995. Israel Englander’s Millennium Management has increased its stake in LMT by 878% and now holds nearly 546,379 shares in the stock valued at $255 million, as of August 14. As per the Insider Monkey’s Hedge Fund database, 56 funds held LMT by the end of Q2 2024 compared to 47 hedge funds in Q1 2024.
While we acknowledge the potential of LMT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVDA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
Now, let’s take a look at the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
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Our Methodology
To compile the list of the 20 least peaceful countries in the world, we gathered data from the 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI) by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). The rankings on GPI are based on 18 indicators in the economic impact of violence model which includes military expenditure, internal security expenditure, direct costs of deaths from internal violent conflict, direct costs of deaths from external violent conflict, terrorism, violent assault, and fear of crime, among others. The 30 least peaceful countries out of the total 163 countries listed on GPI are ranked in ascending order of the peace score. The countries with a higher score are considered to be least peaceful.
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30 Least Peaceful Countries in the World
30. Lebanon
Overall Score: 2.693
Lebanon is engaging against Israel in support of Palestine and has been in a war situation for many years now. Lebanon has one of the lowest GDP per capita of $4,059, as of 2023. With a peace score of 2.693, Lebanon ranks among the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
29. Chad
Overall Score: 2.704
Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,100 and is one of the poorest countries.
28. Eritrea
Overall Score: 2.748
Eritrea has a GDP per capita of $1,000 and has a staggering poverty rate of 40% which is projected to fall by 13% by 2040. Eritrea ranks 28th among the least peaceful countries in the world.
27. Cameroon
Overall Score: 2.773
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,810 and had a $341.6 per capita economic impact of violence in 2023.
26. Mexico
Overall Score: 2.778
Mexico suffers from conflicts and had a $2,948 per capita economic impact of violence in 2023. Mexico with a peace score of 2.778 ranks among the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
25. Turkiye
Overall Score: 2.78
Turkiye has a mixed culture of modernists and Sufism. The country has a GDP per capita of around $12,760 and ranks 25th among the least peaceful countries in the world.
24. Pakistan
Overall Score: 2.783
Pakistan has been facing high poverty levels in Sindh, Balochistan, and KPK provinces. The civil unrest and terrorism over the years have caused huge economic costs to Pakistan. Pakistan had a 10.29% economic cost of violence as a percentage of GDP in 2023.
23. Niger
Overall Score: 2.792
Niger faces corruption, political instability, and unemployment. Niger had a per capita violence impact of $155 in 2023.
22. Venezuela
Overall Score: 2.821
Venezuela ranks 22nd among the least peaceful countries in the world. Venezuela is going through a post-election crisis with each party claiming wins in the election in 2024.
21. Haiti
Overall Score: 2.827
Haiti has a GDP per capita of $1,940, as of 2024. Haiti recorded the fifth-largest deterioration in peacefulness in the 2024 GPI.
20. Ethiopia
Overall Score: 2.845
Ethiopia ranks 20th among the least peaceful countries in the world. Ethiopia suffered a per capita violence impact of $265 in 2023.
19. Palestine
Overall Score: 2.872
Palestine has been facing Israeli aggression for several years now. The events after October 7 last year escalated the situation in Palestine. Gaza faces extreme levels of child and adult malnutrition. Palestine ranks among the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
18. Colombia
Overall Score: 2.887
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $7,330 in 2024. Colombia is the least peaceful country in South America with over $6,541 per capita impact of violence in 2023.
17. Nigeria
Overall Score: 2.907
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,110 and faced a $698 per capita impact of violence in 2023.
16. Myanmar
Overall Score: 2.943
The conflicts in Myanmar remain high and it is the second least peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region. Myanmar has a GDP per capita of around $1,250.
15. Burkina Faso
Overall Score: 2.969
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world having a GDP per capita of $910. With a peace score of 2.969, Burkina Faso ranks 15th among the least peaceful countries in the world.
14. Central African Republic
Overall Score: 3.009
The Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $537, as of 2024. In 2023, the Central African Republic suffered a violence cost of $336 per capita.
13. Iraq
Overall Score: 3.045
Iraq has been suffering from war for many years now. Iraq faced a violence cost of almost $1,483.5 per capita in 2023. Iraq ranks among the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
12. North Korea
Overall Score: 3.055
North Korea faces extreme restrictions and censorship. North Korea incurred one of the highest relative economic costs of violence in 2023, which was around 41.6% of its GDP.
11. Somalia
Overall Score: 3.091
Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Somalia also incurred one of the highest relative economic costs of violence in 2023, almost 39.78% of its GDP.
10. Mali
Overall Score: 3.095
Mali ranks 10th among the least peaceful countries in the world. In 2023, Mali suffered a violence cost of $468 per capita.
9. Israel
Overall Score: 3.115
Israel has raged war on Gaza and has spent a huge amount on militarisation. Israel’s economic impact of violence increased by nearly 63% in 2023.
8. Syria
Overall Score: 3.173
Syria has suffered from war for many years now. Syria has one of the lowest GDP per capita of $361, as of 2023. Syria ranks eighth among the least peaceful countries in the world.
7. Russia
Overall Score: 3.249
Russia has faced international sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s overall peacefulness deteriorated by almost 0.28% in 2023.
6. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Overall Score: 3.264
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world with a GDP per capita of $714, as of 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been entangled in conflict for decades, involving national armed forces, rebel groups, local militias, and foreign troops.
5. Ukraine
Overall Score: 3.28
Ukraine is fighting a war against Russia with the support of NATO and other allies. Ukraine incurred the highest relative economic cost of violence in 2023, which was around 68.6% of its GDP.
4. Afghanistan
Overall Score: 3.294
Afghanistan is now under Taliban rule after the US forces completely left the country in 2021. In 2023, Afghanistan incurred the second-highest relative economic cost of violence, which was around 53.2% of its GDP. Afghanistan ranks among the 30 least peaceful countries in the world.
3. South Sudan
Overall Score: 3.324
South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with a GDP per capita of $422. With a peace score of 3.324, South Sudan ranks third among the least peaceful countries in the world.
2. Sudan
Overall Score: 3.327
Sudan faces extreme conflicts. In 2023, peacefulness in the country declined as conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following a proposal to dissolve the RSF and integrate it with the army.
1. Yemen
Overall Score: 3.397
Yemen is up against Israel in support of Palestine. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world. With a peace score of 3.397, Yemen is the least peaceful country in the world in 2024.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published on Insider Monkey.