Safest Countries in the World 2022

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is a non-profit organisation which measures the relative peacefulness of 163 countries and publishes a report called the Global Peace Index (GPI). The GPI is used as a reference to determine the safest countries in the world. The IEP uses 23 different parameters and indicators to determine the safety of a county. These 23 parameters are divided into 3 main domains: 

1. Societal Safety and Security, 
2. Domestic and International Conflicts, and 
3. Degree of Militarisation.

Some of the parameters include the level of distrust, the potential for terrorist activities, number of violent conflicts (both internal and external), number of homicides, etc. IEP grades each country on these parameters and calculates a score for 163 countries. The higher the score of the country, the safer it is. Iceland, New Zealand, and Portugal are considered some of the safest countries in the world, whereas Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria are considered the least safe countries.

Here is a list of the world’s top 10 safest countries:

1. Iceland – For 13 consecutive years, Iceland has been the safest country in the world. Iceland is one of the Nordic countries in Northern Europe, with a relatively small population of 340,000 inhabitants. These consecutive top rankings can be due to factors like high standard of living, lack of tension between economic and social classes, highly educated police department and small population.
2. New Zealand – In the list of safest countries in the world, New Zealand ranks second. Similar to Iceland, New Zealand also has a very low crime rate. The GPI score for New Zealand decreased slightly because of the two Christchurch shootings, which killed 51 people in March 2019. Unlike Australia, New Zealand does not have any deadly wildlife which could pose a threat to humans.
3. Portugal – Portugal is the third safest country in the world. Portugal has witnessed a big jump from the eighteenth rank in 2014 to the third rank in 2022. The huge shift in safety scores is due to a decrease in the crime rate, economic recovery, and reduction of the unemployment rate from 17 per cent to 7 per cent, among other factors. According to the Global Retirement Index 2020, Portugal is considered the best country for retirement.
4. Austria – Austria comes in fourth in the rankings of safest countries in the world. The GPI score of Austria has increased by 0.11 points from 2020 due to political instability and social unrest. But the country has maintained 4th place in the Safest Countries ranking. Austria has also not witnessed any major terrorist activities.
5. Denmark – Denmark ranks fifth in the world according to the Global Peace Index (GPI). The Danish people report that they feel safe at any time of day and night. The two factors contributing to Denmark’s safety and happiness are – a high level of equality and a strong sense of responsibility for social welfare.
6. Canada – Canada is the sixth safest country in the world. The majority of Canadians feel safe in their country even though the crime rate has increased in the past three years. Other factors which contribute to such a high ranking in GPI are its friendly citizens, high job opportunities, access to universal healthcare and political stability.
7. Singapore – Singapore comes seventh in the world in terms of safety, according to GPI. Most Singaporeans feel safe in their country and have positive experiences with law enforcement. In other indices, Singapore ranked first in personal security and infrastructure security and second for digital security. Singapore also has a relatively low crime rate due to its strict gun possession laws.
8. Czech Republic – Czech Republic ranks eighth on the list of most peaceful countries. It climbed two ranks from tenth place in 2019 to eighth place in 2022. Despite having easier access to weapons than other countries, the Czech republic experiences a very low crime rate. The Czech Republic could have had a better GPI score, but the country’s involvement in international conflicts and the high ratio of prisoners per capita made a negative impact.
9. Japan – According to GPI, Japan is considered the ninth safest country in the world. It has secured a place in the top ten safest countries for 13 years in a row. This is due to low terrorist activities, internal conflicts and crime rates. Japan has strict immigration laws and firearms policies.
10. Switzerland – Switzerland comes tenth in the rankings of the world’s safest countries. This is because of low crime rates, universal healthcare, a high standard of living, and one of the world’s most advanced free markets. Switzerland is also ranked fourth in food security and among the ten peaceful countries for domestic and international conflict.

Conclusion

European countries constitute the majority of the top 25 safest countries in the world, followed by Asian countries. All the Nordic countries (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) are on the list of the top 25 safest countries in the world, making it the safest region in the world. Overall, the average level of global peacefulness has decreased by 0.07 per cent.