Kenya improved two positions in the Global Peace Index (GPI) to be ranked 117 even as incidents of terrorism increase in sub-Saharan Africa.



Regionally, in sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya was ranked position 27 in the Global Peace Index 2023 published by the Institute of Economics Peace.

Iceland is the most peaceful nation with its state of peace being 'very high'. Kenya's state of peace is ranked 'medium'.


The report which has Ukraine and Russia performing dismally, also has South Sudan and Sudan in the region with least scores.

The report measures peacefulness by looking at the economic impacts of violence on a nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In the report, Kenya is ranked position 135 globally in Economic Cost of Violence as a percentage of GDP. The report indicates that violence costs Kenya up to four per cent of its GDP.

Economic costs of violence, the report explains, include the direct and indirect costs.

Violence claims 63 per cent of Ukraine’s GDP, which was ranked position one (on Economic Cost of Violence).


In Sudan, it is 40 per cent, 30 per cent in Somalia, 19 per cent in Burkina Faso and 17 per cent in South Sudan. All these countries feature among the first ten nations in the Economic Cost of Violence ranking that lists 163 nations.

The report notes that 2022 saw a shift in the global distribution of violence which was denoted by major conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa region and South Asia declining while conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific intensified.

“Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a slight fall in peacefulness in the 2023 GPI, with the average country score deteriorating by 0.57 per cent,” the report reads. “Of the 44 countries in the region, 21 improved in score.”

Improvements were indicated in both militarisation and safety and security domains.

“The only two indicators to deteriorate were political instability and military expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product(GDP),” the report reads.

The report states that South Sudan remains the least peaceful country in the region and one of the least peaceful nations in the world.

Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa is being fuelled by Sahel countries.