Qatar most peaceful country in Mena: Index

“The National Planning Council announced yesterday that Qatar ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region in the 2026 Global Peace Index, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s most stable and secure countries despite a challenging global and regional environment. The results also showed an improvement in the Societal Safety and Security domain, with Qatar’s score improving from 1.400 to 1.369 in 2026, lower readings on the index denote greater peacefulness. The Council said the progress demonstrated the effectiveness of the country’s institutions, national capabilities, and social cohesion in maintaining security, public safety, and stability. Published annually by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, the Global Peace Index measures the level of peace across countries by assessing 23 indicators grouped into three domains: societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarisation. It covers 163 countries and territories, accounting for the overwhelming majority of the world’s population. Qatar’s standing is notable against a deteriorating global backdrop. The 2026 index reveals a world struggling with the economic consequences of a record-high number of conflicts that are increasingly interconnected and difficult to resolve. The number of countries engaged in external conflict has nearly doubled, from 59 in 2008 to 103 in the latest edition, while the compilers note a broader geopolitical shift they term the “Great Fragmentation”. The Mena region remains the least peaceful in the world, a position it has held for a decade, which makes Qatar’s consistency a regional outlier. Qatar continues to lead the Gulf, placing ahead of Kuwait, Oman and the UAE, with its diplomatic mediation record and sustained investment in internal security cited as key factors.

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