Global Peace Index: Most Peaceful Countries in the World
Comprehensive Global Safety Index
The World's Most Complete Country Safety Rankings
Updated September 2025 with 2024/2025 data from 10 verified international sources
Understanding Global Safety in 2025
In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding the safety and security landscape of different countries has never been more important. Whether you're planning international travel, considering relocation, making investment decisions, or simply seeking to understand global conditions, comprehensive and reliable safety data is essential.
The Comprehensive Global Safety Index represents the most thorough evaluation of country safety available, analyzing 180 countries across 10 critical safety dimensions. Unlike single-metric rankings that provide only a narrow view, our index synthesizes data from the world's most respected international organizations to create a holistic picture of what makes a country truly safe.
Why This Index Matters
- ✓ Most Comprehensive: 10 distinct safety metrics vs. typical 1-3 metrics in other indices
- ✓ Data-Driven: Based on verified data from 10+ authoritative international organizations
- ✓ Current: Updated with the latest 2024/2025 data reflecting real-world conditions
- ✓ Transparent: Full methodology disclosure with source attribution
- ✓ Actionable: Practical insights for travelers, expatriates, investors, and researchers
The 10 Pillars of Safety
Our index evaluates countries across ten interconnected dimensions that collectively determine overall safety and quality of life:
🕊️ 1. Peace Index
Measures societal safety, ongoing conflicts, and militarization. Countries with high peace scores experience minimal violence, stable governance, and low military aggression.
🛡️ 2. Crime Safety
Evaluates violent crime rates, homicide statistics, and citizen perceptions of safety. Low crime scores indicate safe streets and secure communities.
⚖️ 3. Political Stability
Assesses government effectiveness, civil unrest risk, and institutional strength. Stable countries offer predictability and protection of rights.
🌪️ 4. Natural Disaster Risk
Measures exposure to earthquakes, floods, cyclones, and climate risks. Accounts for both hazard exposure and societal resilience.
🏥 5. Health Security
Evaluates healthcare quality, accessibility, and outcomes. Strong health systems protect populations during both routine care and emergencies.
💻 6. Cyber Security
Measures digital infrastructure security, data protection, and cyber resilience. Critical in our increasingly digital world.
🔍 7. Corruption Control
Assesses public sector transparency and rule of law. Low corruption ensures fair treatment, trustworthy institutions, and equal justice.
💰 8. Economic Stability
Evaluates economic health, opportunity, and resilience. Stable economies provide security, employment, and protection from poverty.
🗽 9. Human Rights & Freedom
Measures civil liberties, political rights, and personal freedoms. Free societies protect individual choice and expression.
🌱 10. Environmental Quality
Assesses air quality, water safety, and environmental health. Clean environments prevent disease and enhance quality of life.
How to Interpret the Scores
World-leading safety standards across all dimensions
High safety levels with strong institutions and infrastructure
Moderate safety with some areas needing improvement
Significant safety concerns across multiple dimensions
Severe safety challenges requiring caution
Important Considerations
- Country Averages: Large countries may have significant regional variation. Urban vs. rural areas can differ substantially in safety levels.
- Dynamic Conditions: Safety situations can change. Recent events may not yet be reflected in annual indices.
- Personal Circumstances: Individual risk varies based on activities, locations visited, and personal precautions taken.
- Metric Balance: A country may score high in some dimensions and low in others. Review individual metrics for complete understanding.
2024/2025 Key Findings
🏆 Top 10 Safest Countries
- 1. 🇩🇰 Denmark 96
- 2. 🇨🇭 Switzerland 96
- 3. 🇮🇸 Iceland 95
- 4. 🇫🇮 Finland 95
- 5. 🇳🇴 Norway 95
- 6. 🇳🇿 New Zealand 94
- 7. 🇸🇬 Singapore 94
- 8. 🇮🇪 Ireland 94
- 9. 🇸🇪 Sweden 94
- 10. 🇳🇱 Netherlands 94
📊 Notable Patterns
- Nordic Dominance: Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden) occupy 5 of the top 10 spots, excelling across all metrics.
- Europe Leads: 7 of the top 10 countries are European, reflecting strong institutions, low corruption, and high quality of life.
- Small Nations Excel: Smaller, highly developed nations with strong governance consistently outperform larger countries.
- Asia-Pacific Strength: Singapore and New Zealand demonstrate that excellence spans continents.
🕊️ Most Peaceful
- 1. Iceland (98)
- 2. Ireland (97)
- 3. Austria (97)
- 4. New Zealand (97)
- 5. Singapore (97)
🛡️ Lowest Crime
- 1. Singapore (98)
- 2. Iceland (97)
- 3. Monaco (97)
- 4. Japan (97)
- 5. UAE (96)
🔍 Least Corrupt
- 1. Denmark (90)
- 2. Finland (88)
- 3. Norway (85)
- 4. New Zealand (84)
- 5. Singapore (84)
🗽 Most Free
- 1. New Zealand (95)
- 2. Switzerland (95)
- 3. Finland (94)
- 4. Norway (94)
- 5. Sweden (94)
🏥 Best Healthcare
- 1. Japan (96)
- 2. Taiwan (95)
- 3. Switzerland (95)
- 4. South Korea (95)
- 5. Singapore (95)
🌱 Cleanest Air
- 1. Iceland (96)
- 2. Andorra (96)
- 3. Monaco (95)
- 4. Barbados (94)
- 5. Bahamas (95)
Comprehensive Global Safety Index
Complete safety rankings for 180 countries across 10 critical metrics
Updated with 2024/2025 data from multiple verified international sources
Data Sources & Methodology
1. Peace Index: Global Peace Index 2024 by Institute for Economics & Peace - Measures societal safety, ongoing conflict, and militarization across 163 countries
2. Crime Safety: Numbeo Crime Index 2024 and UNODC homicide statistics - Assesses crime rates, safety perceptions, and violent crime levels
3. Political Stability: GPI Political Instability indicators and Political Terror Scale - Evaluates government stability and civil unrest
4. Natural Disaster Risk: World Risk Index 2024 by Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft - Measures exposure to earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, cyclones, and droughts
5. Health Security: Numbeo Health Care Index 2024, WHO data, and Commonwealth Fund rankings - Evaluates healthcare quality and accessibility
6. Cyber Security: ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 and National Cyber Security Index - Assesses digital security preparedness and cyber resilience
7. Corruption Control: Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 by Transparency International - Measures perceived public sector corruption (180 countries)
8. Economic Stability: World Bank, IMF, and Index of Economic Freedom 2024 - Evaluates GDP per capita, economic growth, inflation, and financial security
9. Human Rights & Freedom: Human Freedom Index 2024 (Cato/Fraser Institute) and Freedom House - Assesses civil liberties, political rights, and personal freedoms
10. Environmental Quality: IQAir World Air Quality Report 2024 and WHO environmental data - Measures air quality (PM2.5), water quality, and environmental safety
Overall Safety Score: Weighted composite of all 10 metrics, normalized to 0-100 scale (higher is safer). Weights reflect each metric's impact on overall safety and quality of life.
| Rank | Country | Overall ↓ | Peace | Crime | Political | Natural | Health | Cyber | Corruption | Economic | Freedom | Environment |
|---|
Score Legend
Methodology & Data Sources
Our index is built on rigorous, transparent methodology using data exclusively from internationally recognized organizations. Each metric is normalized to a 0-100 scale where higher scores indicate greater safety.
Primary Data Sources
Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)
Global Peace Index 2024 - The world's leading measure of peacefulness, ranking 163 countries across 23 indicators of societal safety, ongoing conflict, and militarization.
Source: economicsandpeace.org
Transparency International
Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 - Ranks 180 countries by perceived public sector corruption based on expert assessments and surveys.
Source: transparency.org
Cato Institute & Fraser Institute
Human Freedom Index 2024 - Comprehensive measure of personal and economic freedom across 165 countries using 86 distinct indicators.
Source: cato.org/human-freedom-index
IQAir
World Air Quality Report 2024 - Analyzes PM2.5 pollution from 40,000+ monitoring stations across 138 countries.
Source: iqair.com
Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft
World Risk Index 2024 - Evaluates disaster risk for 193 countries based on exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards.
Source: weltrisikobericht.de
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 - Measures cybersecurity commitment across legal, technical, organizational, and capacity dimensions.
Source: itu.int
Additional data sources include: UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Numbeo, World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, IMF, and Heritage Foundation.
Score Calculation
The Overall Safety Score is a weighted composite of all 10 metrics:
- Peace Index (15%): Foundation of societal safety
- Crime Safety (15%): Direct impact on personal security
- Political Stability (10%): Predictability and institutional strength
- Natural Disaster Risk (8%): Environmental hazard exposure
- Health Security (12%): Healthcare access and quality
- Cyber Security (8%): Digital safety infrastructure
- Corruption Control (12%): Affects all other dimensions
- Economic Stability (10%): Financial security foundation
- Human Rights & Freedom (10%): Personal liberty and rights
- Environmental Quality (10%): Health and livability impacts
Weights reflect each metric's relative importance to overall safety and quality of life, based on academic research and expert consultation.
Regional Safety Overview
🇪🇺 Europe (Average: 84)
The world's safest region, with 8 of the top 10 countries. Strong institutions, low corruption, excellent healthcare, and high quality of life are hallmarks. Nordic and Western European nations lead globally.
Strengths: Peace, governance, freedom, healthcare | Challenges: Some Eastern European nations face corruption and political instability issues
🌏 Asia-Pacific (Average: 72)
Highly diverse region ranging from Singapore (94) to conflict-affected nations. East Asian nations excel in healthcare and cyber security, while natural disaster exposure is a common challenge.
Strengths: Economic growth, healthcare in developed nations | Challenges: Natural disasters, air quality in South Asia, political instability in some areas
🌎 Americas (Average: 68)
Significant variation from Canada (92) to struggling Central American nations. Crime and corruption remain major challenges in Latin America, though economic opportunities exist.
Strengths: Economic freedom in North America, improving governance in some nations | Challenges: Crime, corruption, inequality, political instability
🌍 Middle East & North Africa (Average: 63)
Mixed performance with wealthy Gulf states scoring well on infrastructure and healthcare, while conflict-affected nations face severe challenges. Political stability and freedom are common concerns.
Strengths: Economic wealth in Gulf states, improving infrastructure | Challenges: Ongoing conflicts, limited freedoms, political instability
🌍 Sub-Saharan Africa (Average: 58)
The most challenged region globally, though countries like Mauritius and Botswana demonstrate that progress is possible. Corruption, weak institutions, and healthcare access remain urgent priorities.
Strengths: Growing economies, young populations, improving governance in some nations | Challenges: Corruption, conflict, poverty, healthcare gaps, infrastructure deficits
Practical Applications
✈️ For Travelers
- • Assess overall safety before booking international trips
- • Compare crime levels and political stability
- • Evaluate healthcare quality for medical tourism or emergencies
- • Check natural disaster risks for seasonal travel planning
🏠 For Expatriates
- • Evaluate long-term safety and quality of life
- • Compare healthcare systems and environmental quality
- • Assess political stability and personal freedoms
- • Consider corruption levels and rule of law
💼 For Investors & Businesses
- • Assess political and economic stability for investments
- • Evaluate corruption risks and regulatory environments
- • Consider cyber security for digital operations
- • Factor in natural disaster risks for physical assets
📚 For Researchers & Policy Makers
- • Compare multi-dimensional safety across countries