Photo: kulimpapat derivative work: Inkey · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 10 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Brunei: Peace & Security
Is a country at peace, and how heavily armed is it?
Brunei is placed 76th of 177 countries on peace & security in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Political Stability and Absence of Violence 1.499 (2025); Global Militarisation Index 201.15 (2023).
Share
Peace & Security
76th
of 177 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 4 key statistics
- 1.499Political Stability and Absence of Violence, 2025Political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)
- —Physical Violence Index, 2025No reading for this country
- —Political Violence by Non-State Actors, 2025No reading for this country
- 201.15Global Militarisation Index, 2023GMI score (higher means a heavier military weight)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Brunei on peace & security — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Political Stability and Absence of Violence
World Bank Group
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
1.499
Political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)
Higher is better
Brunei: 1.499. Across the 211 countries in this edition, values run from -2.506 (Yemen) to 1.563 (Andorra); the world median is 0.171.
- World median
- 0.171
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 1.499 Brunei
- Land neighbours
- Malaysia 0.34
Key 2 of 4
Physical Violence Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
No reading
Freedom from political killings and torture (0–1)
Higher is better
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes no 2025 figure for Brunei, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.053 (North Korea) to 0.989 (Sweden); the world median is 0.79.
- World median
- 0.79
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 0.973 Singapore
- Land neighbours
- Malaysia 0.884
Key 3 of 4
Political Violence by Non-State Actors
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
No reading
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +4); higher = more violence
Lower is better
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes no 2025 figure for Brunei, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 171 countries in this edition, values run from -3.182 (Luxembourg) to 3.375 (Myanmar); the world median is -0.661.
- World median
- -0.661
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- -2.219 Singapore
- Land neighbours
- Malaysia -0.497
Key 4 of 4
Global Militarisation Index
Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC)
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY
201.15
GMI score (higher means a heavier military weight)
Lower is better
Ranked 16th of 149 by BICC
Brunei: 201.15. Across the 149 countries in this edition, values run from 3.512 (Haiti) to 351.09 (Ukraine); the world median is 100.66.
- World median
- 100.66
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 47.92 Timor-Leste
- Land neighbours
- Malaysia 79.56
02Over time
Which way Brunei is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Political Stability and Absence of Violence
Political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5) · higher is better
BruneiWorld median
Brunei rose from 1.342 in 2000 to 1.499 in 2025; the world median went from -0.021 to 0.171.
Every year’s figures
Year Brunei World median 2025 1.499 0.1706 2024 1.331 0.1385 2023 1.330 0.1269 2022 1.146 0.0991 2021 1.134 0.0836 2020 1.136 0.0582 2019 1.068 0.0678 2018 1.116 0.1121 2017 1.050 0.0177 2016 0.994 -0.0161 2015 1.191 0.0464 2014 1.241 0.0366 2013 0.973 -0.0060 2012 0.891 0.0470 2011 0.959 -0.0034 2010 1.228 0.0100 2009 1.288 0.1579 2008 1.113 0.0744 2007 1.126 0.1154 2006 1.124 0.0812 2005 1.121 0.0308 2004 1.105 -0.0307 2003 1.054 0.0683 2002 1.022 -0.0154 2000 1.342 -0.0212 Global Militarisation Index
GMI score (higher means a heavier military weight) · lower is better
BruneiWorld median
Brunei fell from 250.55 in 2000 to 201.15 in 2023; the world median went from 120.02 to 100.66.
Every year’s figures
Year Brunei World median 2023 201.2 100.7 2022 195.7 100.9 2021 208.2 102.9 2020 214.7 104.4 2019 208.8 101.6 2018 200.6 98.1 2017 228.4 101.3 2016 221.9 102.0 2015 218.0 105.7 2014 221.5 103.0 2013 207.9 108.5 2012 207.6 109.5 2011 209.8 112.0 2010 221.1 114.8 2009 220.5 117.0 2008 213.6 114.4 2007 217.9 117.1 2006 228.1 116.5 2005 227.8 113.9 2004 228.7 113.6 2003 248.8 117.9 2002 252.8 120.1 2001 249.3 122.0 2000 250.6 120.0
03In context
Brunei beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 177 countries on peace & security, never a place within the region.
Brunei and the countries it borders
Standing among all 177; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Political Stability and Absence of ViolencePolitical Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5) | Physical Violence IndexFreedom from political killings and torture (0–1) | Political Violence by Non-State ActorsOriginal latent estimate (≈ −3.5 to +4); higher = more violence | Global Militarisation IndexGMI score (higher means a heavier military weight) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Malaysia | 62nd | 0.34 | 0.884 | -0.497 | 79.56 |
| Brunei | 76th | 1.499 | — | — | 201.15 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across South-eastern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 177.
Placed either side on peace & security
The countries immediately above and below Brunei in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Brunei is ahead of the world, and behind
8 more statistics filed under peace & security, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which Brunei does better than the middle country measured.
INFORM Risk IndexEuropean Commission Joint Research Centre, with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee · 2025 · world median 3.72.33.7▲ Improved since 2016
Brunei: 2.3 · world median 3.7 · INFORM Risk score (0–10, where 10 is the highest risk). European Commission Joint Research Centre, with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.7 to 8.5; lower is better.
Position 159th of 191 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median1
Statistics on which Brunei does worse than the middle country measured.
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population)U.S. Department of State · 2019 · world median 0.261.50.26No real change since 2009
Brunei: 1.5 · world median 0.26 · Active-duty armed forces personnel (% of population). U.S. Department of State, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.04 to 4.6; lower is better.
Level with the median, or no median to compare4
Deaths in Organized ViolenceUCDP · 2025 · world median 000No real change since 2015
Brunei: 0 · world median 0 · Deaths in organized violence (people). Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 90,345; lower is better.
Position 59th of 59 · derived, 1st = worst.
Civilian Deaths in Organized ViolenceUCDP · 2025 · world median 000No real change since 2015
Brunei: 0 · world median 0 · Civilians killed in organized violence (people). Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 65,911; lower is better.
Deaths in State-Based Armed ConflictUCDP · 2025 · world median 000No real change since 2015
Brunei: 0 · world median 0 · Deaths in state-based armed conflict (people). Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 90,323; lower is better.
Deaths in Non-State ConflictUCDP · 2025 · world median 000No real change since 2015
Brunei: 0 · world median 0 · Deaths in non-state conflict (people). Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 7,827; lower is better.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Arms Imports (% of total imports)U.S. Department of State · 2019 · world median 0.31.20.3Moved since 2009
Brunei: 1.2 · world median 0.3 · Arms imports (% of all imports of goods and services). U.S. Department of State, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 61.
Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2025 · world median 1,27251,272Moved since 2015
Brunei: 5 · world median 1,272 · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate from this country, end of year (people). UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 5,224,131.
No current reading for Brunei
Government Cyber Security Capacity, Internally Displaced People of Concern to UNHCR, Military Dimension Index, Physical Violence Index, Political Violence by Non-State Actors and State Authority over Territory. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Peace & Security among Brunei’s 15 topics
Peace & Security is Brunei’s 7th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Risk & Resilience24th of 1933/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation44th of 1762/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions49th of 1943/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 72nd of 1824/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 73rd of 1843/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing82nd of 2002/4 keys
- Peace & Security76th of 1772/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital88th of 1963/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties100th of 1982/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 97th of 1832/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade96th of 1773/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge127th of 1982/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 133rd of 1983/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability146th of 1862/4 keys
- Energy140th of 1653/3 keys
No standing on Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on peace & security
The three countries placed highest of 177, and the leaders Brunei can most readily be measured against.
1
IcelandNorthern Europe
1st of 177 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
Costa RicaCentral America
2nd of 177 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: Henry Zbyszynski from Capitola California, USA · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3
MaltaSouthern Europe
3rd of 177 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Taiwan=7th3/4 keysHighest in South-eastern Asia
Timor-Leste=30th4/4 keysThis page
Brunei76th2/4 keys
Positions out of 177 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Brunei and peace & security
08Questions
Brunei on peace & security: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Brunei rank on peace & security?
Brunei is placed 76th of 177 countries on Peace & Security in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics (Political Stability and Absence of Violence and Global Militarisation Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Political Stability and Absence of Violence figure for Brunei?
1.499 in 2025 (political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.171.
What is the latest Global Militarisation Index figure for Brunei?
201.15 in 2023 (gMI score (higher means a heavier military weight)), according to Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC). The world median in the same edition was 100.66.
How does Brunei compare with Malaysia on peace & security?
Malaysia is placed 62nd of 177, and Brunei 76th. Political Stability and Absence of Violence: Malaysia 0.34, Brunei 1.499; Global Militarisation Index: Malaysia 79.56, Brunei 201.15.
How have Brunei’s peace & security figures changed?
Political Stability and Absence of Violence rose from 1.342 in 2000 to 1.499 in 2025; Global Militarisation Index fell from 250.55 in 2000 to 201.15 in 2023.
Which peace & security statistics are missing for Brunei?
No current reading is published for Brunei on Government Cyber Security Capacity, Internally Displaced People of Concern to UNHCR, Military Dimension Index, Physical Violence Index, Political Violence by Non-State Actors and State Authority over Territory. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Deaths in armed conflict and violent deaths per person are published here as context, because the counts are uneven between years and between sources. Crime in daily life and personal safety are not covered. Humanitarian crises driven by conflict appear in Risk & Resilience.
How the Peace & Security standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The peace & security method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Political Stability and Absence of Violence — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Physical Violence Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Political Violence by Non-State Actors — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Global Militarisation Index — Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC), CC BY
The other 8 statistics on this page come from 4 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Brunei’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Brunei (banner) — kulimpapat derivative work: Inkey, CC BY 2.0
- Iceland — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Costa Rica — Henry Zbyszynski from Capitola California, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Malta — Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Brunei: Peace & Security — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/brunei/security