The Safest Countries in the World (And What the Data Actually Shows)
The Rankings Everyone Cites
The Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks 163 countries on 23 indicators. Here are the 2025 results.
Top 10 Most Peaceful Countries (2025)
1. Iceland -GPI Score 1.095. Has held #1 since 2008. No standing army. Population 380,000.
2. Ireland -1.260. Rose to #2 in 2025.
3. New Zealand -1.282. Consistent top 5.
4. Austria -1.294.
5. Switzerland -1.294 (tied with Austria).
6. Singapore -1.357.
7. Portugal -1.371.
8. Denmark -1.393.
9. Slovenia -1.409.
10. Finland -1.420.
Also in the top 15: Czech Republic and Japan.
Bottom 10 Least Peaceful
Russia displaced Afghanistan as the least peaceful country for the first time in 2025. The full bottom 10: Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, DR Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Israel, Mali.
Homicide Rates Tell a Different Story
The GPI measures peace broadly (including military spending, political instability, and conflicts). If you care about personal safety -"will I get mugged?" -homicide rates are more relevant.
Lowest homicide rates (per 100,000):
Highest:
Notable: El Salvador dropped from 21.2 in 2020 to just 1.9 in 2024 -the most dramatic safety improvement in modern history, driven by aggressive anti-gang measures.
Why Safety Data Is Misleading
Tourist vs. Resident Safety
Crime statistics capture the full population's experience. Tourist areas often have different risk profiles -sometimes more petty crime (pickpockets, scams) but less violent crime. A country can be statistically safe but feel unsafe in tourist zones, or vice versa.
Urban vs. Rural
National averages mask enormous variation. Mexico's national homicide rate is 19.3 per 100,000, but some states are under 2.0 while others exceed 50. Medellin's murder rate dropped from 380 in 1991 to under 15 today -but Colombia's national average remains elevated.
Reporting Bias
Countries with better law enforcement and higher trust in institutions report more crimes. Paradoxically, this can make them appear less safe in statistics. A country with low reporting (because people don't trust police) may look artificially safe.
Perception vs. Reality
Numbeo's Safety Index is perception-based -it surveys how safe residents feel. GPI uses hard data. The two don't always agree. Mexico City has a low Numbeo safety score (32.5) but millions of expats live there safely.
What to Actually Look At
If you're considering relocating, look at multiple metrics:
1. Homicide rate -the hardest to fudge
2. GPI score -broad measure of peace and stability
3. Expat community reports -people living there know the ground truth
4. Neighborhood-level data -national averages are almost meaningless
The Big Picture
The world has grown 5.4% less peaceful since the GPI began in 2008. More active state-based conflicts exist now than at any time since WWII. But for individuals choosing where to live, the safest countries remain extremely safe -Iceland, Singapore, Japan, Portugal, and the Nordics continue to offer near-zero personal safety risk.
Explore Safety Data
CostMaps tracks safety metrics across 200+ countries. Use the rankings page to sort by homicide rate, safety score, and other security indicators.
Explore the Data Yourself
Compare countries, check cost of living, and make data-driven decisions.