List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates facts for kids

The Nobel Peace Prize is a very special award given each year to people or groups who have worked hard for peace. It was created by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor. He wanted to honor those who helped bring countries together, reduce armies, and promote peace meetings.

A group called the Norwegian Nobel Committee chooses the winners. This committee has five members chosen by the Parliament of Norway. Each winner gets a medal, a special certificate, and money. The Peace Prize is one of five awards Alfred Nobel created. The others are for amazing work in chemistry, physics, literature, and medicine.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute helps choose Nobel Peace Prize winners. It also organizes the yearly award ceremony in Oslo.

What is the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Peace Prize ceremony happens every year in Oslo, Norway. The King of Norway is usually there. It takes place on December 10th, the day Alfred Nobel passed away. This is the only Nobel Prize not given out in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sometimes, the Peace Prize goes to a group or organization, not just one person. For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross has won it three times! The first Peace Prize was given in 1901 to Frédéric Passy and Henry Dunant. The most recent winner, in 2025, was María Corina Machado.

Interesting Facts About the Prize

• Linus Pauling won the Peace Prize in 1962. He is the only person to win two Nobel Prizes all by himself. He also won the Chemistry Prize in 1954.
• Malala Yousafzai received the prize in 2014 when she was just 17. She is the youngest Peace Prize winner ever.
• The first woman to win was Bertha von Suttner in 1905. So far, 20 women have won the Peace Prize.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross has won the Peace Prize more than any other group. They won it three times for their amazing help to people.
• Some winners were not free when they received their awards. These include Carl von Ossietzky (1935), Aung San Suu Kyi (1991), Liu Xiaobo (2010), Ales Bialiatski (2022), and Narges Mohammadi (2023).

Who Has Won the Peace Prize?

As of 2025, 112 individuals and 28 organizations have received the Peace Prize. Twenty women have won this award. This is more than any other Nobel Prize. The International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has won twice. There have been 19 years when the prize was not given out.

Year	Laureate (birth/death)		Country	Rationale
1901		Henry Dunant (1828–1910)	Switzerland	"for helping wounded soldiers and promoting understanding between countries."
		Frédéric Passy (1822–1912)	France	"for his work in organizing peace meetings and solving problems between nations."
1902		Élie Ducommun (1833–1906)	Switzerland	"for his excellent leadership of the International Peace Bureau."
		Charles Albert Gobat (1843–1914)		"for his effective work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union."
1903		William Randal Cremer (1828–1908)	United Kingdom	"for his long and dedicated work for peace and fair solutions."
1904		Institute of International Law (founded 1873)	Belgium	"for working to create peaceful rules between countries and make war less harsh."
1905		Bertha von Suttner (1843–1914)	Austria-Hungary	"for bravely speaking out against the terrible things that happen in war."
1906		Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)	United States	"for helping to end the war between Japan and Russia."
1907		Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (1833–1918)	Italy	"for promoting understanding between France and Italy through writing and peace meetings."
		Louis Renault (1843–1918)	France	"for his important role in peace conferences like those in Hague and Geneva."
1908		Klas Pontus Arnoldson (1844–1916)	Sweden	"for their long work for peace as leaders, speakers, and writers."
		Fredrik Bajer (1837–1922)	Denmark
1909		Auguste Beernaert (1829–1912)	Belgium	"for their important roles in the global movement for peace and fair agreements."
		Paul Henri d'Estournelles de Constant (1852–1924)	France
1910		Permanent International Peace Bureau (founded 1891)	Switzerland	"for connecting peace groups worldwide and helping organize global peace events."
1911		Tobias Asser (1838–1913)	Netherlands	"for helping create international law and organizing important legal conferences."
		Alfred Fried (1864–1921)	Austria-Hungary	"for working to show and fight against the main reasons for war."
1912		Elihu Root (1845–1937)	United States	"for improving understanding between North and South American countries and starting important peace agreements."
1913		Henri La Fontaine (1854–1943)	Belgium	"for his great work in organizing international peace efforts."
1914	Not awarded because of World War I.
1915
1916
1917		International Committee of the Red Cross (founded 1863)	Switzerland	"for helping wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, and their families."
1918	Not awarded because of World War I.
1919		Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)	United States	"for helping to create the League of Nations."
1920		Léon Bourgeois (1851–1925)	France	"for his long work for peace and justice, and his role in starting the League of Nations."
1921		Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925)	Sweden	"for their lifelong work for peace and international cooperation."
		Christian Lange (1869–1938)	Norway
1922		Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930)	Norway	"for his leadership in helping war prisoners return home, providing international aid, and assisting refugees."
1923	Not awarded
1924
1925		Sir Austen Chamberlain (1863–1937)	United Kingdom	"for his important role in creating the Locarno Treaties."
		Charles G. Dawes (1865–1951)	United States	"for his important role in creating the Dawes Plan."
1926		Aristide Briand (1862–1932)	France	"for their important role in creating the Locarno Treaties."
		Gustav Stresemann (1878–1929)	Germany
1927		Ferdinand Buisson (1841–1932)	France	"for helping people in France and Germany support peaceful international cooperation."
		Ludwig Quidde (1858–1941)	Germany
1928	Not awarded
1929		Frank Billings Kellogg (1856–1937)	United States	"for his important role in creating the Kellogg-Briand Pact."
1930		Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931)	Sweden	"for promoting unity among Christians and helping create a mindset for peace between nations."
1931		Jane Addams (1860–1935)	United States	"for their strong efforts to bring back the idea of peace in their countries and worldwide."
		Nicholas Murray Butler (1862–1947)	United States
1932	Not awarded
1933		Sir Norman Angell (1872–1967)	United Kingdom	"for showing that war is an illusion and arguing strongly for international cooperation and peace."
1934		Arthur Henderson (1863–1935)	United Kingdom	"for his tireless and brave work as chairman of the League of Nations Disarmament Conference."
1935		Carl von Ossietzky (1889–1938)	Germany	"for his strong belief in freedom of thought and speech, and his valuable work for peace."
1936		Carlos Saavedra Lamas (1878–1959)	Argentina	"for creating the Saavedra Lamas Treaty and helping to make peace between Paraguay and Bolivia."
1937		The Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (1864–1958)	United Kingdom	"for his tireless work supporting the League of Nations, disarmament, and peace."
1938		Nansen International Office for Refugees (1930–1939)	League of Nations	"for continuing Fridtjof Nansen's work to help refugees across Europe."
1939	Not awarded because of World War II.
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944		International Committee of the Red Cross (founded 1863)	Switzerland	"for its great humanitarian work during World War II."
1945		Cordell Hull (1871–1955)	United States	"for his tireless work for international understanding and his key role in creating the United Nations."
1946		Emily Greene Balch (1867–1961)	United States	"for her lifelong work for peace."
		John Raleigh Mott (1865–1955)	United States	"for helping create a religious brotherhood that promotes peace across countries."
1947		The Quakers (represented by Friends Service Council and American Friends Service Committee) (started during the mid-17th century)	United States & United Kingdom	"for their pioneering work in the international peace movement and their kind efforts to help people in need."
1948	Not awarded because "there was no suitable living candidate." (A tribute to the recently assassinated Mohandas Gandhi in India.)
1949		Lord Boyd-Orr (1880–1971)	United Kingdom	"for his lifelong effort to end hunger and poverty, which helps prevent wars."
1950		Ralph Bunche (1904–1971)	United States	"for his work as a mediator in Palestine from 1948-1949."
1951		Léon Jouhaux (1879–1954)	France	"for dedicating his life to fighting war by promoting social fairness and brotherhood among people and nations."
1952		Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965)	Germany/France	"for his kindness, respect for life, and tireless humanitarian work that brought the idea of brotherhood to life."
1953		George Catlett Marshall Jr. (1880–1959)	United States	"for proposing and overseeing the Marshall Plan for Europe's economic recovery."
1954		Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (founded 1950)	United Nations	"for its efforts to help refugees worldwide and heal the wounds of war."
1955	Not awarded
1956
1957		Lester Bowles Pearson (1897–1972)	Canada	"for his important role in sending a United Nations Emergency Force after the Suez Crisis."
1958		Dominique Pire (1910–1969)	Belgium	"for his efforts to help refugees leave camps and live freely and with dignity."
1959		Philip Noel-Baker (1889–1982)	United Kingdom	"for his long work for disarmament and peace."
1960		Albert Luthuli (1898–1967)	South Africa	"for his peaceful fight against apartheid."
1961		Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961)	Sweden	"for making the UN an effective organization that brought its principles to life."
1962		Linus Pauling (1901–1994)	United States	"for his fight against the nuclear arms race between East and West."
1963		International Committee of the Red Cross (founded 1863)	Switzerland	"for promoting the rules of the Geneva Convention and working with the UN."
		League of Red Cross Societies (founded 1919)
1964		Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)	United States	"for his peaceful fight for civil rights for African Americans."
1965		United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (founded 1946)	United Nations	"for its efforts to build friendship between nations and reduce the gap between rich and poor countries."
1966	Not awarded
1967
1968		René Cassin (1887–1976)	France	"for his fight to ensure human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
1969		International Labour Organization (founded 1919)	United Nations	"for creating international laws that set standards for working conditions everywhere."
1970		Norman Ernest Borlaug (1914–2009)	United States	"for giving hope through the green revolution."
1971		Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	West Germany	"for opening the way for important talks between East and West."
1972	Not awarded
1973		Henry Kissinger (1923–2023)	United States	"for jointly negotiating a cease fire in Vietnam in 1973."
		Lê Đức Thọ (1911–1990)	North Vietnam
1974		Seán MacBride (1904–1988)	Ireland	"for his efforts to protect and develop human rights worldwide."
		Eisaku Satō (1901–1975)	Japan	"for helping stabilize the Pacific region and signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."
1975		Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989)	Soviet Union	"for his fight for human rights in the Soviet Union, for disarmament, and for cooperation between nations."
1976		Betty Williams (1943–2020)	United Kingdom	"for their brave efforts in starting a movement to end the violent conflict in Northern Ireland."
		Mairead Corrigan (born 1944)
1977		Amnesty International (founded 1961)	United Kingdom	"for promoting human rights around the world."
1978		Anwar Sadat (1918–1981)	Egypt	"for jointly negotiating peace between Egypt and Israel in 1978."
		Menachem Begin (1913–1992)	Israel
1979		Mother Teresa (1910–1997)	India	"for her work in helping suffering people."
1980		Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (born 1931)	Argentina	"for inspiring people who were being repressed, especially in Latin America."
1981		Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (founded 1950)	United Nations	"for promoting the basic rights of refugees."
1982		Alva Myrdal (1902–1986)	Sweden	"for their work for disarmament and nuclear-weapon-free zones."
		Alfonso García Robles (1911–1991)	Mexico
1983		Lech Wałęsa (born 1943)	Poland	"for his peaceful fight for free trade unions and human rights in Poland."
1984		Desmond Tutu (1931–2021)	South Africa	"for his role as a unifying leader in the peaceful campaign to end apartheid in South Africa."
1985		International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (founded 1980)	United States	"for sharing important information and raising awareness about the terrible effects of nuclear war."
1986		Elie Wiesel (1928–2016)	United States (born in Romania)	"for being a messenger to mankind, sharing a message of peace, forgiveness, and dignity."
1987		Óscar Arias (born 1940)	Costa Rica	"for his work for lasting peace in Central America."
1988		United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces (founded 1945)	United Nations	"for preventing armed clashes and creating conditions for talks."
1989		Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (born 1935)	India (born in Tibet)	"for promoting peaceful solutions based on respect to protect his people's heritage."
1990		Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022)	Soviet Union	"for his leading role in bringing big changes to relations between East and West."
1991		Aung San Suu Kyi (born 1945)	Myanmar	"for her peaceful fight for democracy and human rights."
1992		Rigoberta Menchú (born 1959)	Guatemala	"for her fight for social fairness and peace between different cultures, respecting the rights of indigenous peoples."
1993		Nelson Mandela (1918–2013)	South Africa	"for their work to peacefully end the apartheid system and build a new democratic South Africa."
		Frederik Willem de Klerk (1936–2021)	South Africa
1994		Yasser Arafat (1929–2004)	Palestine	"for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East."
		Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995)	Israel
		Shimon Peres (1923–2016)	Israel
1995		Joseph Rotblat (1908–2005)	Poland	"for their efforts to reduce the role of nuclear weapons and eventually get rid of them."
		Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs	Canada
1996		Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo (born 1948)	East Timor	"for their work towards a fair and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor."
		José Ramos-Horta (born 1949)	East Timor
1997		International Campaign to Ban Landmines (founded 1992)	Switzerland	"for their work to ban and clear anti-personnel mines."
		Jody Williams (born 1950)	United States
1998		John Hume (1937–2020)	Ireland	"for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland."
		David Trimble (1944–2022)	United Kingdom
1999		Médecins Sans Frontières	Switzerland	"for the organization's pioneering humanitarian work on several continents."
2000		Kim Dae-jung (1924–2009)	South Korea	"for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and East Asia, and for peace with North Korea."
2001		United Nations	United Nations	"for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world."
		Kofi Annan (1938–2018)	Ghana
2002		Jimmy Carter (1924–2024)	United States	"for his decades of tireless effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, promote democracy and human rights, and encourage economic and social development."
2003		Shirin Ebadi (born 1947)	Iran	"for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She focused especially on the rights of women and children."
2004		Wangari Muta Maathai (1940–2011)	Kenya	"for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace."
2005		International Atomic Energy Agency (founded 1957)	United Nations	"for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure its safe use for peaceful purposes."
		Mohamed ElBaradei (born 1942)	Egypt
2006		Muhammad Yunus (born 1940)	Bangladesh	"for their efforts to create social and economic development from the ground up."
		Grameen Bank (founded 1983)	Bangladesh
2007		Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (founded 1988)	United Nations	"for their efforts to build and share knowledge about human-caused climate change, and to set the stage for actions needed to fight it."
		Al Gore (born 1948)	United States
2008		Martti Ahtisaari (1937–2023)	Finland	"for his important efforts, over many years and on several continents, to solve international conflicts."
2009		Barack Obama (born 1961)	United States	"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
2010		Liu Xiaobo (1955–2017)	China	"for his long and peaceful fight for basic human rights in China."
2011		Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 1938)	Liberia	"for their peaceful fight for the safety of women and for women's rights to fully participate in peace-building work."
		Leymah Gbowee (born 1972)
		Tawakkol Karman (born 1979)	Yemen
2012		European Union (founded 1958)	European Union	"for over six decades of contributing to peace, reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe."
2013		Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (founded 1997)	Netherlands	"for its extensive efforts to get rid of chemical weapons."
2014		Kailash Satyarthi (born 1954)	India	"for their fight against the mistreatment of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education."
		Malala Yousafzai (born 1997)	Pakistan
2015		Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (2013–2014)	Tunisia	"for its key role in building a diverse democracy in Tunisia after the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."
2016		Juan Manuel Santos (born 1951)	Colombia	"for his strong efforts to end the civil war in his country, which lasted over 50 years."
2017		International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (founded 2007)	Switzerland	"for its work to highlight the terrible human consequences of using nuclear weapons and its efforts to create a treaty banning them."
2018		Denis Mukwege (born 1955)	Democratic Republic of the Congo	"for their efforts to end the use of violence against people in wars and conflicts."
		Nadia Murad (born 1993)	Iraq
2019		Abiy Ahmed (born 1976)	Ethiopia	"for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, especially for his key step to solve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea."
2020		World Food Programme (founded 1961)	United Nations	"for its efforts to fight hunger, for helping create better conditions for peace in conflict areas, and for working to prevent hunger from being used as a weapon."
2021		Maria Ressa (born 1963)	Philippines	"for their efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is essential for democracy and lasting peace."
		Dmitry Muratov (born 1961)	Russia
2022		Ales Bialiatski (born 1962)	Belarus	"These Peace Prize winners represent civil society in their home countries. For many years, they have promoted the right to speak out against power and protect basic human rights. They have done outstanding work to document unfair actions and abuse of power. Together, they show how important civil society is for peace and democracy."
		Memorial (founded 1989)	Russia
		Centre for Civil Liberties (founded 2007)	Ukraine
2023		Narges Mohammadi (born 1972)	Iran	"for her fight for human rights and freedom for all, especially for women in Iran."
2024		Nihon Hidankyo (founded 1956)	Japan	"for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for showing through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again."
2025		María Corina Machado (born 1967)	Venezuela	"for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve democracy and peace."

Peace Prize Winners by Group

Peace Prize Winners by Country

Country	Laureates
United States	23
United Kingdom	12
Switzerland	11
United Nations /  League of Nations	10
France	9
Sweden	5
Belgium	4
Germany /  West Germany	4
South Africa	4
Russia /  Soviet Union	4
Israel	3
India	3
Austria-Hungary	2
Norway	2
Netherlands	2
Argentina	2
Canada	2
Ireland	2
Egypt	2
Poland	2
East Timor	2
Iran	2
Bangladesh	2
Liberia	2
Japan	2
Italy	1
Denmark	1
North Vietnam	1
Palestine	1
Mexico	1
Costa Rica	1
Myanmar	1
Guatemala	1
South Korea	1
Ghana	1
Kenya	1
Finland	1
China	1
Yemen	1
European Union	1
Pakistan	1
Tunisia	1
Colombia	1
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1
Iraq	1
Ethiopia	1
Philippines	1
Belarus	1
Ukraine	1
Romania	1
Tibet	1
Venezuela	1

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Ganadores del Premio Nobel de la Paz para niños

• List of Nobel laureates
• List of peace activists
• List of organizations nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
• List of individuals nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
• PRIO Director's Shortlist