Safest Countries in the World 2022

The nations with the highest scores on the Global Peace Index are considered to be the safest on the planet. IEAP is a non-profit organization committed to promoting peace as a positive, attainable, and measurable indicator of human well-being and development.

They issue this report every year. The survey studies nations to discover the safest while also rating the most hazardous.

The study covers 163 nations in all. There are 23 distinct indicators used to measure how safe or hazardous a nation is. Three factors are split into these categories: Ongoing International Conflict, Societal Safety and Security, and Militarization.

The elements utilized to construct this report include the number of internal and foreign violent conflicts, degree of mistrust, political instability, the potential for terrorist attacks, number of killings, and military spending as a proportion of GDP.

A score is derived for each of the 163 countries mentioned in the research based on these parameters. The lower the score, the more secure the nation is considered.

A majority of the top 25 safest nations are European countries. Only in Europe has the level of safety remained constant since 2009, a rarity in the rest of the world. Asia is the second-most-frequent region in the top 25. Homicides occur at around three per 100,000 inhabitants in both locations.

The Nordic countries of Europe are particularly noteworthy. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland are all ranked in the world’s top 25 safest countries, making this region the safest.

The murder rate in this area is 0.8 occurrences per 100,000 residents. According to the World Happiness Report, all five of these Nordic nations are also among the world’s happiest nations.

10 Safest Countries in the World

The top 10 safest countries in the world are as follows:

1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Portugal
4. Austria
5. Denmark
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Czech Republic
9. Japan
10. Switzerland

1. Iceland

Iceland tops the Global Peace Index for safety for the thirteenth year in a row. Iceland is a Nordic country with a relatively modest population of 340,000.

Iceland has an extremely low level of crime ascribed to its high quality of living, small population, strong societal attitudes against crime, a high degree of confidence in its well-trained, highly educated police force, and a lack of conflict between social and economic strata.

We don’t have armed forces in Iceland, nor do our police officers (only extendable batons and pepper spray). Iceland’s equality laws include same-sex marriage and adoption, religious freedom, and equal pay for men and women.

2. New Zealand

New Zealand is the second-safest nation in the world. Like Iceland, New Zealand has an extremely low crime rate, notably violent crime.

Theft, however, is a widespread occurrence, particularly for visitors. New Zealand has no lethal creatures, unlike its neighbor down-under, Australia, noted for having some harmful species.

The terror assault on two mosques on March 15, 2019, reduced New Zealand’s score somewhat from last year. There are laws to protect people’s right to freedom of speech and expression, and New Zealanders are typically liberal and accepting. New Zealand police officers carry no personal guns as in Iceland.

3. Portugal

The rating of the most tranquil nations places Portugal third. Portugal climbed from 18th place in 2014 to third place in 2015. The country’s crime rate seems to be lower than Iceland or New Zealand, despite having armed police.

During the last six years, Portugal’s economy has recovered, and its unemployment rate has dropped from over 17% to around 7%. Because of Portugal’s high degree of security, the Annual Global Retirement Index has selected it as the best nation for retirement in 2020.

4. Austria

Austria is the fourth-safest nation in the world. Austria’s 2020 score improved marginally by 0.011 points from 2020 but preserved its fourth-place status.

But when Sebastian Kurz’s People’s Party was elected as Austria’s new government in October 2017, the country’s risk of violent protests declined. Due to the country’s political instability, societal discontent has escalated.

Otherwise, traveling to Austria is completely risk-free. Serious crimes are infrequent. However, people should be careful of pickpockets and purse-snatchers. Additionally, Austria has been spared any significant acts of terrorism.

5. Denmark

The Global Peace Index puts Denmark fifth among the world’s safest and happiest countries. Denmark is one of the few nations where people report feeling secure day or night, including youngsters.

Denmark has a high degree of equality and a strong feeling of collective responsibility for social welfare – two factors that contribute to Denmark’s safety and happiness. In Denmark’s economic and political sectors, honesty and trust are highly prized, making corruption a rarity.

Denmark is a welfare state, meaning everyone receives benefits and privileges. Everyone in Denmark gets access to healthcare with no extra payments, tuition-free education, and the elderly are granted, at-home care workers.

6. Canada

Canada is the sixth-safest nation in the world according to the Global Peace Index, retaining its position from 2019. Canada scored high marks from the OECD for its low crime rate, political stability, and lack of internal strife.

In addition to tremendous career prospects, fantastic access to healthcare, and competent administration, Canada boasts some of the most famously pleasant people in the world.

Canada has a crime rate of around one-third of its neighbor, the United States (1.6 occurrences per 100,000 vs. 4.5 per 100,000 respectively).

In a 2018 Gallup study, 84 percent of Canadians asked reported that they felt secure in their nation.

7. Singapore

The GPI places Singapore at number seven. According to the same Gallup survey from 2018, Singaporeans had the greatest level of personal security and the most favorable encounters with law enforcement out of any nation studied.

Singapore does have one of the world’s lowest unemployment rates because of hefty punishments for even small breaches. Because Singapore’s government and police carefully regulate guns and other weaponry, violent and aggressive crimes are uncommon.

The city-state is also ranked second in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index. Singapore ranked first for infrastructural, personal, and digital security and ninth for health security.

8. The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic rounds off the world’s safest nations with a number 10. The Czech Republic gained two positions from its 2019 ranking of ten to eight. There has been a gradual drop in violent crime over the years.

This is despite having relatively simple access to weaponry in the nation. There is little evidence of terrorist activity in the Czech Republic. The country’s decline in rankings is ascribed to its strong involvement in foreign conflicts, high prisoner-to-population ratio, and police and security force assessment.

9. Japan

The ninth-safest nation in the world is Japan. This country has regularly received good rankings for minimal crime, internal strife, and political terror over its 13 years in the Global Peace Index’s top 10. A few areas of worry are Japan’s problematic ties with its neighbors and the expanding size and strength of the country’s self-defense forces.

Japan is noted for having restricted immigration and limited access to guns. Individuals in Japan do not have the right to keep and bear arms.

According to the Safe Cities Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit, Tokyo is regarded as the safest city globally, ranking first in cybersecurity, second for health security, and fourth for infrastructure security and personal security.

10. Switzerland

Finishing the top ten safest nations is Switzerland, which gets a score of 1.366. Switzerland dropped one spot from 2019 to finish among the top five countries in terms of safety and security.

Along with numerous other very tranquil nations, Switzerland scored in the ten largest weapons exports per capita every year for the previous five years. Switzerland, which comes in at number four internationally in food security, is a haven of tranquility despite continuing internal and international turmoil.

There are certain similarities among the safest nations globally, such as their levels of prosperity, social welfare, and education. These nations have efficient criminal justice systems and administrations that maintain highly strong connections with their citizenry.

With a current score of 128, the United States is considered a global peace threat. The United States’ rating has declined every year since 2016 and may be related to reducing life satisfaction and rising income inequality.

When comparing 2020’s report to the previous one produced in 2019, 81 nations were more peaceful than they were in the previous year. As a result, 80 nations had less peace in 2020 than in 2019. Scores for most countries dropped by 0.34 percent.

Europe remained the most peaceful area globally, a position it has retained for every year of the Global Peace Index.

Listed below are the world’s ten safest nations, in no particular order:

1. China ()
2. India ()
3. United States ()
4. Indonesia ()
5. Pakistan ()
6. Nigeria ()
7. Brazil ()
8. Bangladesh ()
9. Russia ()
10. Mexico ()

Also Checkout: Violent Crime Rates by Country 2022