Iceland is the safest country in the world in 2026, ranked first of 163 countries on the Global Peace Index with a score of 1.161. It has held the top spot for 19 consecutive years, 0.182 points clear of New Zealand. These are the safest countries in the world, ranked from the latest edition, with each score, rank and homicide rate.
The table uses the Global Peace Index 2026, the 20th edition, released in June 2026. A lower score means a more peaceful country, on a scale that runs from 1 to 5. Seven of the top 10 are in Western and Central Europe, and nine of the 10 were also in the top 10 a year earlier. Each homicide rate carries its own year, because the latest available year differs by country.
The 15 Safest Countries on the Global Peace Index
| # | Country | GPI 2026 score | Region | Homicides per 100,000 (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1.161 | Europe | 1.82 (2024) |
| 2 | New Zealand | 1.343 | Oceania | 1.46 (2022) |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1.363 | Europe | 0.50 (2024) |
| 4 | Slovenia | 1.369 | Europe | 0.71 (2024) |
| 5 | Ireland | 1.371 | Europe | 0.69 (2024) |
| 6 | Austria | 1.421 | Europe | 0.85 (2024) |
| 7 | Portugal | 1.427 | Europe | 0.68 (2024) |
| 8 | Singapore | 1.435 | Asia | 0.07 (2023) |
| 9 | Finland | 1.478 | Europe | 1.78 (2024) |
| 10 | Japan | 1.489 | Asia | 0.23 (2023) |
| 11 | Denmark | 1.504 | Europe | 0.87 (2024) |
| 12 | Malaysia | 1.513 | Asia | 0.73 (2023) |
| 13 | Czechia | 1.517 | Europe | 0.63 (2024) |
| 14 | Canada | 1.525 | North America | 1.61 (2025) |
| 15 | Hungary | 1.538 | Europe | 0.69 (2024) |
Safest Countries in the World, Ranked
1. Iceland: First Place for 19 Straight Years
Rank: 1 of 163 · GPI score: 1.161 · Homicide rate: 1.82 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over second place: 0.182
Iceland’s score of 1.161 is 0.182 better than New Zealand’s, a margin no other pair in the top five comes close to. The report credits the absence of a standing military, very low crime and strong social cohesion. In 2026 its overall score improved 2%, and the Safety and Security domain improved 4% on a 42.9% improvement in the violent demonstrations indicator.
Iceland’s official tourism body says the country has one of the world’s lowest crime rates and no animal predators dangerous to humans, and it gives 112 as the emergency number. The population is under 400,000, the far end of the scale from the most populous countries, so a handful of cases moves the rate: 1.06 per 100,000 in 2022, 1.29 in 2023 and 1.82 in 2024.
2. New Zealand: Most Peaceful Country in the Asia-Pacific
Rank: 2 of 163 · GPI score: 1.343 · Homicide rate: 1.46 per 100,000 (2022) · Gap to next rank: 0.020
New Zealand is second in the world and the most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region. Its overall score improved 0.4% in 2026 because Militarisation improved 3.3%, helped by fewer weapons imports.
The report places New Zealand among the top countries globally on both the Ongoing Conflict and Safety and Security domains, and gives it the lowest Ongoing Conflict score of any Asia-Pacific country. The latest homicide rate in the World Bank series is 1.46 per 100,000 for 2022, up from 1.03 in 2020 and 1.16 in 2021.
3. Switzerland: Lowest Homicide Rate Among Europe’s Top 15
Rank: 3 of 163 · GPI score: 1.363 · Homicide rate: 0.50 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.006
Switzerland scores 1.363, which is 0.020 behind New Zealand and 0.006 ahead of Slovenia. It is one of seven countries from Western and Central Europe in the top 10.
Police-recorded intentional homicide in Switzerland was 0.48 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.60 in 2023 and 0.50 in 2024. The 2024 rate is the lowest of the 10 European countries in the table and far below Iceland’s 1.82.
4. Slovenia: Third in Western and Central Europe
Rank: 4 of 163 · GPI score: 1.369 · Homicide rate: 0.71 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.002
Slovenia is fourth with 1.369, just 0.002 ahead of Ireland, the closest margin in the top 10. It ranks third in Western and Central Europe, behind only Iceland and Switzerland.
Slovenia’s tourist board calls the country one of the safest places in the world and cites its fourth-place finish in 2026. Police-recorded homicide stood at 0.62 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.61 in 2023 and 0.71 in 2024.
5. Ireland: Two Thousandths of a Point Behind Slovenia
Rank: 5 of 163 · GPI score: 1.371 · Homicide rate: 0.69 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.050
Ireland scores 1.371, 0.002 behind Slovenia. The gap to sixth-placed Austria is 0.050, the second-largest step between neighbouring places in the top 10 after the move from Iceland to New Zealand.
Ireland’s police-recorded homicide rate was 0.81 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.63 in 2023 and 0.69 in 2024. The 2024 rate is lower than the rates for Iceland (1.82) and Finland (1.78) and equal to Hungary’s 0.69, which sits ten places lower on the index.
6. Austria: A Homicide Rate That Has Edged Up Since 2022
Rank: 6 of 163 · GPI score: 1.421 · Homicide rate: 0.85 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.006
Austria scores 1.421, which is 0.050 behind Ireland and 0.006 ahead of Portugal.
Police-recorded intentional homicide in Austria rose each year in the series, from 0.72 per 100,000 in 2022 to 0.82 in 2023 and 0.85 in 2024. The 2024 rate is above Switzerland’s 0.50, Slovenia’s 0.71, Ireland’s 0.69 and Portugal’s 0.68, and below Iceland’s 1.82 and Finland’s 1.78.
7. Portugal: A Falling Homicide Rate Since 2022
Rank: 7 of 163 · GPI score: 1.427 · Homicide rate: 0.68 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.008
Portugal scores 1.427, 0.006 behind Austria and 0.008 ahead of Singapore. It is one of the seven Western and Central European countries in the top 10.
Its police-recorded homicide rate fell from 0.72 per 100,000 in 2022 to 0.70 in 2023 and 0.68 in 2024. That is the second-lowest of the seven European countries in the top 10, after Switzerland’s 0.50.
8. Singapore: The Lowest Homicide Rate in the Top 15
Rank: 8 of 163 · GPI score: 1.435 · Homicide rate: 0.07 per 100,000 (2023) · Gap to next rank: 0.043
Singapore is eighth with 1.435, and Japan, in 10th, is the only other Asian country in the top 10. Malaysia, 12th, makes it three Asian countries in the top 15.
The homicide rate was 0.07 per 100,000 in 2023, down from 0.11 in 2021 and 0.12 in 2022, and the lowest of the 15 countries in the table. The counts are very small, so a single case moves the rate noticeably.
9. Finland: Peaceful Overall With a Higher Homicide Rate
Rank: 9 of 163 · GPI score: 1.478 · Homicide rate: 1.78 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to next rank: 0.011
Finland scores 1.478, 0.043 behind Singapore and 0.011 ahead of Japan. Visit Finland, the official tourism board, describes the country as among the top countries in the Global Peace Index ranking and says the streets are safe.
Police-recorded homicide in Finland was 1.50 per 100,000 in 2022, 1.15 in 2023 and 1.78 in 2024. Only Iceland, at 1.82, is higher among the 10 European countries in the table, and both sit above lower-ranked Denmark (0.87), Czechia (0.63) and Hungary (0.69).
10. Japan: Steady at 0.23 Homicides per 100,000
Rank: 10 of 163 · GPI score: 1.489 · Homicide rate: 0.23 per 100,000 (2023) · Gap to next rank: 0.015
Japan takes 10th place with 1.489, 0.015 ahead of Denmark in 11th. The World Bank series, compiled from UN crime data, holds Japan’s intentional homicide rate at 0.23 per 100,000 in each of 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The Japan National Tourism Organization runs a Japan Safe Travel information service with emergency and safety information for visitors. Malaysia, 12th at 1.513, is the next Asian country on the index.
Where the US, UK, Canada and Australia Land on the Peace Index
Canada is the highest-ranked of the four at 14th with a score of 1.525, and it is the most peaceful country in North America. Its score improved 0.1% in 2026 on a 1.8% improvement in Safety and Security, though that domain is still 7.7% worse than in 2008. Statistics Canada counted 672 homicide victims in 2025, a rate of 1.61 per 100,000, down from 1.93 in 2024 and 2.28 in 2022.
Australia is 20th at 1.602, which is 0.077 behind Canada, with a homicide rate of 0.85 per 100,000 in 2023. The United Kingdom is 39th at 1.730, 0.205 behind Canada, with 1.12 per 100,000 in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank series.
The United States ranks 134th with a score of 2.535, its lowest placing since the index began. Its score deteriorated 4% in 2026, mainly on a 38.5% rise in political instability and a worsening in violent demonstrations. The US homicide rate was 5.76 per 100,000 in 2023.
The Three Domains Behind Every Peace Score
Every score blends three domains. Societal Safety and Security has 11 indicators, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict has six and Militarisation has six, giving 23 in all. The composite gives internal peace a 60% weight and external peace 40%.
Countries move up or down by different routes. Iceland’s 2026 gain came from Safety and Security, which improved 4%, while New Zealand’s came from Militarisation, up 3.3%, and Canada’s from Safety and Security, up 1.8%. A country can also lose ground without any rise in crime: the US decline came mainly from political instability and violent demonstrations.
Europe Holds 10 of the Top 15: The Regional Pattern
Ten of the 15 countries in the table are European: Iceland, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Czechia and Hungary. Western and Central Europe is the most peaceful of the index’s eight regions, with an average score of 1.632 and seven of the world’s top 10. Asia contributes three (Singapore, Japan and Malaysia), while New Zealand and Canada add one each.
Beyond the table, Bhutan is 16th at 1.546. Poland made the largest country improvement in 2026, a 9.1% better score that lifted it 23 places to 22nd.
The wider picture is weaker than the top of the table. Average peacefulness deteriorated 0.7% in the past year, the 12th consecutive annual decline, with 99 of 163 countries worse and 62 better. Russia is last at 3.367, the first time it has ranked least peaceful.
What 163 Countries and 23 Indicators Can and Cannot Tell You About Safety
The Global Peace Index is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, headquartered in Sydney, and the 2026 edition covers 163 independent states and territories, 99.7% of the world’s population. It measures negative peace, meaning the absence of violence or the fear of violence, and a lower score is more peaceful. The institute reports that 70% of pairwise country comparisons do not depend on the weighting chosen.
Because the index weighs 23 indicators, including conflict, militarisation and political instability, a high rank is not the same as a low homicide rate. Iceland, first, and Finland, ninth, record higher homicide rates than some lower-ranked countries: in 2024 their rates were 1.82 and 1.78 per 100,000, against 0.87 for Denmark (11th), 0.63 for Czechia (13th) and 0.69 for Hungary (15th).
The homicide rates in this article are the latest each country has published: police-recorded 2024 rates from Eurostat for the 10 European countries, a 2025 rate from Statistics Canada, and 2021 to 2023 rates compiled by the World Bank from UN crime data for New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, the US, the UK and Australia. National definitions differ, and in small countries such as Iceland, Singapore and Slovenia one case moves the annual rate, so each rate describes one country against its own history and is not a ranking.
How to Compare Peace Scores and Homicide Rates Before Choosing a Destination
Use the score to compare overall peacefulness and the homicide rate to compare one narrow risk, and keep the two apart. Four checks help:
- Read the gap, not the rank. Slovenia and Ireland are 0.002 apart, while Iceland is 0.182 ahead of second place.
- Match the year. Ireland’s 0.69 is a 2024 rate, New Zealand’s 1.46 is from 2022 and Canada’s 1.61 is from 2025.
- Compare homicide rates only within the same dataset, such as the 2024 police-recorded rates for the 10 European countries.
- Allow for small populations. Iceland’s rate moved from 1.06 to 1.82 per 100,000 in two years.
The index measures peacefulness rather than personal or tourist safety. Check the most visited countries in the world to see where travellers actually go, and use official visitor pages such as Japan Safe Travel for current guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest country in the world?
Iceland, ranked first of 163 on the Global Peace Index with a score of 1.161 and first for 19 consecutive years. New Zealand follows at 1.343, then Switzerland at 1.363.
Where do the US, UK, Canada and Australia rank?
Canada is 14th (1.525), Australia 20th (1.602), the United Kingdom 39th (1.730) and the United States 134th (2.535). The US placing is its lowest since the index began.
What is the least peaceful country in the world?
Russia, 163rd with a score of 3.367, the first time it has ranked last. Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine and Israel complete the bottom five, and Russia is 2.206 points behind Iceland.
Does the Global Peace Index measure personal or tourist safety?
Not directly. It measures peacefulness, including conflict, militarisation and political instability as well as crime, across 23 indicators.
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