Argentina led the region with a score of 1.768, climbing five positions globally. Uruguay closely followed in 48th place, while Chile reached 62nd. Only Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela recorded setbacks.
The Argentine case is paradigmatic: the combination of public order, crime control, and institutional stability, amid a strong macroeconomic reorganization, largely explains the results. The report highlights that "the decrease in perceived criminality and violent demonstrations" was key to the rise.
The most remarkable aspect is that this leap occurred without resorting to state repression or exceptional measures. Under the leadership of Milei and Bullrich, the country not only avoided unrest, but also improved its social cohesion and reduced urban violence indicators. This demonstrates that it is possible to implement an economic shock program with governability, predictability, and concrete results.
The only variable in which Argentina showed a setback was in funding for UN peace operations, a marginal point that doesn't affect its structural performance. "Political stability was maintained firmly, but without excess," notes the IEP.
At a global level, the economic cost of violence in 2024 reached USD 19.97 trillion (PPP), representing 11.6% of global GDP, or about USD 2,455 per person. Defense and internal security spending absorbed 74% of that total. In contrast, investment in conflict prevention was just 0.52%.
Additionally, the report highlights that international trade stagnated at around 60% of global GDP, while restrictive trade measures have almost tripled since 2019. All this in a context of growing geopolitical fragmentation and decline of "structural peace", understood as the institutional framework that enables stable and cohesive societies.
The IEP warns that the world is on the verge of a new threshold of instability. "Peace is not just the absence of war, but an active construction that requires political will, justice, and social cohesion," the report states. The warning is clear: without sustained investment in institutions, even the most stable countries can quickly regress.
However, the Argentine case appears as an encouraging exception. In the words of the report itself, Argentina's improvement "is consistent with effective governance in contexts of fiscal adjustment and structural reforms." In other words, when there is clear political leadership and institutional firmness, results follow.
While the world is going through one of the most violent and fragmented periods since World War II, with more than fifty active armed conflicts and record military spending, Argentina delivered positive news: it has become the most peaceful country in South America, rising to 46th place in the Global Peace Index (GPI), published in June 2025 by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
The report, which analyzes 163 countries and covers 99.7% of the world's population, warned of a global deterioration in peace for the sixth consecutive year, with an average decline of 0.36% compared to 2024. The global situation is critical: 59 active state wars, 17 countries with more than 1,000 deaths from internal violence in a single year, and accelerated militarization on every continent.
Argentina, el país mas seguro de Sudamérica.
In this context, Argentina managed to improve its peace index by 3.8%, with particularly notable progress in indicators of perceived criminality, homicide rates, and violent demonstrations. The GPI highlights that, "despite the austerity measures implemented by Javier Milei's government, there were no social outbreaks or mass protests", a compelling fact that refutes the catastrophic forecasts of some opposition and media sectors.
For the seventeenth consecutive year, Icelandleads the global ranking with a score of 1.095, followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, and Switzerland. At the opposite end, Russia fell to last place for the first time, displacing Afghanistan. The conflict in Ukraine, internal attacks in Kursk, and the massive use of heavy weaponry drastically worsened its position. Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, and Syria complete the most critical spots.
The report warns that the factors that anticipate major conflicts—such as interstate tensions, militarization, and political fragmentation—are at their highest point since 1945. In the last five years, 78 countries have participated in wars outside their borders, compared to 59 in 2008. Among them are powers such as the United States, Iran, Türkiye, and France.
In a global environment that is regressing, South America stood out as the only region in the world that improved its peace levels in 2025, with an average increase of 0.59%. Eight of the eleven countries analyzed improved their scores, especially in terms of internal security and reduction of social conflicts.
