According to the Global Peace Index 2025, Russia was the least peaceful country in the world, with an index value of 3.44. The Eastern European country has been involved in the war against Ukraine since February 2022, when Russian troops invaded eastern Ukrainian territory. Ukraine had the second-highest index value, at 3.43. Before the Russian invasion, the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine had been the center of a civil war between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014. The Russia-Ukraine war While most of the countries on the list of the least peaceful countries are found in Africa and Asia, the Russia-Ukraine war, together with the war in Gaza, has probably received the most attention, at least in Western countries. Many Western countries responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by implementing sanctions on Russia. Conflicts around the world Though one might get the impression that the number of conflicts worldwide is increasing, it actually declined somewhat since 2013. Today, most of the conflicts are defined as violent crises, whereas 16 of the 21 conflicts defined as wars are ongoing in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Worldwide, 64 countries criminalize homosexuality as of 2024. Most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In 12 countries, the death penalty is imposed or at least a possibility for private, consensual same-sex sexual activity. These countries are Iran, Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Uganda.