Explore the complete list of Nobel Peace Prize winners from 1901 to 2025 with year-wise details and their contributions to peace and humanity.
Complete List of Nobel Peace Prize Winners (1901–2025)
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the most respected international awards. It is given every year (when awarded) to individuals or organizations that have made outstanding efforts to promote peace, human rights, humanitarian work, diplomacy, and international cooperation.
Established under the will of Alfred Nobel, the prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway. Unlike other Nobel Prizes, it focuses not on scientific discovery but on reducing conflict, protecting human dignity, and building peaceful societies.
This article presents a complete, year-wise list of Nobel Peace Prize winners from 1901 to 2025, along with clear explanations of why each laureate was honored.
About the Nobel Peace Prize
- First awarded: 1901
- Awarding body: Norwegian Nobel Committee
- Purpose: Promotion of peace, disarmament, diplomacy, and humanitarian ideals
- When not awarded: During major global conflicts or when no suitable candidate was found
Several years—especially during World War I and World War II—saw no award.
Complete List of Nobel Peace Prize Winners (1901–2025)
1901–1919: Foundations of Modern Peace Movements
| Year | Laureate(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Henry Dunant; Frédéric Passy | Founder of the Red Cross; peace activism |
| 1902 | Élie Ducommun; Charles-Albert Gobat | Leaders of international peace movements |
| 1903 | William Randal Cremer | Promoted international arbitration |
| 1904 | Institute of International Law | Development of international law |
| 1905 | Bertha von Suttner | Anti-war literature and advocacy |
| 1906 | Theodore Roosevelt | Mediated Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty |
| 1907 | Ernesto Moneta; Louis Renault | Peace journalism; international law |
| 1908 | Klas Pontus Arnoldson; Fredrik Bajer | Parliamentary peace initiatives |
| 1909 | August Beernaert; Paul d’Estournelles | Diplomatic reconciliation |
| 1910 | Permanent International Peace Bureau | Organized global peace efforts |
| 1911 | Tobias Asser; Alfred Fried | Arbitration and peace journalism |
| 1912 | Elihu Root | International legal diplomacy |
| 1913 | Henri La Fontaine | International arbitration |
| 1914–1916 | Not awarded | World War I |
| 1917 | International Committee of the Red Cross | Humanitarian relief in war |
| 1918 | Not awarded | Ongoing conflict |
| 1919 | Woodrow Wilson | Founder of the League of Nations |
1920–1945: Inter-War Peace and Global Conflict
| Year | Laureate(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Léon Bourgeois | League of Nations advocacy |
| 1921 | Hjalmar Branting; Christian Lange | International cooperation |
| 1922 | Fridtjof Nansen | Refugee relief |
| 1923–1924 | Not awarded | — |
| 1925 | Austen Chamberlain; Charles Dawes | Post-WWI reconciliation |
| 1926 | Aristide Briand; Gustav Stresemann | Franco-German peace |
| 1927 | Ferdinand Buisson; Ludwig Quidde | Pacifism and education |
| 1928 | Not awarded | — |
| 1929 | Frank B. Kellogg | Kellogg-Briand Pact |
| 1930 | Nathan Söderblom | Religious unity for peace |
| 1931 | Jane Addams; Nicholas Butler | Social reform and peace |
| 1932 | Not awarded | — |
| 1933 | Norman Angell | Anti-war writings |
| 1934 | Arthur Henderson | Disarmament efforts |
| 1935 | Carl von Ossietzky | Anti-Nazi journalism |
| 1936 | Carlos Saavedra Lamas | Peace in South America |
| 1937–1939 | Not awarded | Pre-WWII tensions |
| 1944 | International Red Cross | WWII humanitarian work |
1946–1979: Cold War, Human Rights & Development
| Year | Laureate(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Emily Balch; John Mott | Peace education |
| 1947 | Friends Service Council; AFSC | Quaker humanitarian service |
| 1949 | Lord Boyd Orr | Food security |
| 1950 | Ralph Bunche | Middle East mediation |
| 1951 | Léon Jouhaux | Labor peace |
| 1952 | Albert Schweitzer | Humanitarian medicine |
| 1953 | George C. Marshall | European reconstruction |
| 1954 | UNHCR | Refugee protection |
| 1957 | Lester B. Pearson | UN peacekeeping |
| 1958 | Georges Pire | Refugee aid |
| 1959 | Philip Noel-Baker | Disarmament |
| 1960 | Albert Luthuli | Anti-apartheid struggle |
| 1961 | Dag Hammarskjöld | UN leadership |
| 1962 | Linus Pauling | Nuclear disarmament |
| 1963 | ICRC; League of Red Cross | Humanitarian cooperation |
| 1964 | Martin Luther King Jr. | Civil rights |
| 1968 | René Cassin | Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| 1969 | International Labour Organization | Workers’ rights |
| 1970 | Norman Borlaug | Green Revolution |
| 1971 | Willy Brandt | East-West reconciliation |
| 1973 | Henry Kissinger; Lê Đức Thọ | Vietnam peace talks |
| 1974 | Seán MacBride; Eisaku Satō | Disarmament |
| 1975 | Andrei Sakharov | Human rights |
| 1976 | Betty Williams; Mairead Corrigan | Northern Ireland peace |
| 1977 | Amnesty International | Human rights advocacy |
| 1978 | Menachem Begin; Anwar Sadat | Egypt-Israel peace |
| 1979 | Mother Teresa | Humanitarian service |
1980–2000: Democracy, Nonviolence & Global Activism
| Year | Laureate(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Adolfo Pérez Esquivel | Nonviolent resistance |
| 1981 | UNHCR | Refugee assistance |
| 1982 | Alva Myrdal; Alfonso García Robles | Nuclear disarmament |
| 1983 | Lech Wałęsa | Solidarity movement |
| 1984 | Desmond Tutu | Anti-apartheid |
| 1985 | IPPNW | Anti-nuclear activism |
| 1986 | Elie Wiesel | Holocaust remembrance |
| 1987 | Óscar Arias Sánchez | Central American peace |
| 1988 | UN Peacekeeping Forces | Peace operations |
| 1989 | Dalai Lama | Nonviolent struggle |
| 1990 | Mikhail Gorbachev | End of Cold War |
| 1991 | Aung San Suu Kyi | Democracy in Myanmar |
| 1992 | Rigoberta Menchú Tum | Indigenous rights |
| 1993 | Nelson Mandela; F.W. de Klerk | End of apartheid |
| 1994 | Rabin; Peres; Arafat | Middle East peace |
| 1995 | Joseph Rotblat; Pugwash | Nuclear disarmament |
| 1996 | Carlos Belo; Ramos-Horta | East Timor peace |
| 1997 | Jody Williams; ICBL | Landmine ban |
| 1998 | John Hume; David Trimble | Northern Ireland peace |
| 1999 | Doctors Without Borders | Medical humanitarian aid |
| 2000 | Kim Dae-jung | Korean reconciliation |
2001–2025: Human Rights, Climate & Democracy
| Year | Laureate(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Kofi Annan; United Nations | Global peace |
| 2002 | Jimmy Carter | Conflict mediation |
| 2003 | Shirin Ebadi | Women’s rights |
| 2004 | Wangari Maathai | Environmental peace |
| 2005 | IAEA; Mohamed ElBaradei | Nuclear non-proliferation |
| 2006 | Muhammad Yunus; Grameen Bank | Microfinance |
| 2007 | IPCC; Al Gore | Climate awareness |
| 2008 | Martti Ahtisaari | Conflict mediation |
| 2009 | Barack Obama | Strengthening diplomacy |
| 2010 | Liu Xiaobo | Democratic reforms |
| 2011 | Sirleaf; Gbowee; Karman | Women’s peace leadership |
| 2012 | European Union | Peace in Europe |
| 2013 | OPCW | Chemical weapons ban |
| 2014 | Kailash Satyarthi; Malala Yousafzai | Child education |
| 2015 | Tunisian Dialogue Quartet | Democratic transition |
| 2016 | Juan Manuel Santos | Colombia peace |
| 2017 | ICAN | Nuclear weapons ban |
| 2018 | Denis Mukwege; Nadia Murad | Ending sexual violence |
| 2019 | Abiy Ahmed | Ethiopia-Eritrea peace |
| 2020 | World Food Programme | Combating hunger |
| 2021 | Maria Ressa; Dmitry Muratov | Press freedom |
| 2022 | Ales Bialiatski; Memorial; CCL | Human rights |
| 2023 | Narges Mohammadi | Women’s rights |
| 2024 | Nihon Hidankyo | Nuclear survivors’ advocacy |
| 2025 | María Corina Machado | Nonviolent democracy protest |
Why the Nobel Peace Prize Matters
- Highlights peaceful solutions over violence
- Encourages human rights and democratic values
- Recognizes grassroots activists and global institutions
- Shapes international awareness and policy
Conclusion
From humanitarian pioneers to modern democracy activists, the Nobel Peace Prize (1901–2025) reflects humanity’s ongoing struggle—and hope—for a more peaceful world. Each laureate represents a chapter in global efforts to reduce suffering, protect dignity, and resolve conflict without violence.
