Ranked: safest countries in the world 2024

The safest countries in the world have been updated for summer 2024. Read our insights from the study and browse the rankings below

Iceland is the safest country in the world followed by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Singapore.

However, the world is not as safe as a year ago as the average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated for the 12th time in 16 years. Ninety-seven countries recorded a decline in peacefulness while 65 registered an improvement according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI).

Yemen is the least peaceful country in the world in 2024. This is the first year that Yemen has been ranked last with the country falling 24 places since the inception of the index. The Yemeni Civil War, between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government, has been ongoing since 2014 and is considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen is followed by Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Despite showing improvements, Afghanistan remains one of the most unsafe countries in the world and continues to be severely affected by the 2021 Taliban takeover.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine continues to have a significant impact on global peacefulness while the Israel-Gaza war has seen the two countries record the highest (Israel) and fourth-highest (Palestine) declines in peacefulness.

The GPI report is the only statistical measure of its kind and makes it possible to rank 163 independent states based on how peaceful they are. The 163 states cover over 99% of the world’s population and are assessed using 23 indicators, each banded or normalised on a scale of 1-5.

The index, produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), measures global peace using three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarization.

Peace is notoriously difficult to define. The IEP approaches it by attempting to assess the “harmony achieved by the absence of violence or the fear of violence” in a society. More information on the methodology, including details of the 23 indicators used, can be found here.

Key Findings

• Iceland has maintained its position as the safest country in the world. It has been ranked first every year since 2008.
• Yemen is the world’s least peaceful country for the first time.
• The average level of global peacefulness declined by 0.56% in 2024.
• This is the 12th time in the last 16 years that global peacefulness has declined.
• Conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine were the primary drivers of the global fall in peacefulness, as battle deaths reached 162,000 in 2023.
• In total, 97 countries deteriorated in peacefulness, more than any year since the inception of the index in 2008.
• While only 65 countries improved their peacefulness.
• Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the 10 safest countries in the world.
• The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains the least peaceful, containing four of the 10 least peaceful countries.
• North America saw the largest regional deterioration, driven by increases in violent crime and fear of violence.
• El Salvador, UAE, Nicaragua, Greece and Myanmar recorded the largest improvements in peacefulness.
• Israel, Ecuador, Gabon, Palestine and Haiti recorded the largest deteriorations.
• New Zealand is the most peaceful country in Oceania.
• Singapore is the most peaceful country in Asia.
• Mauritius is the most peaceful country in Africa with Kuwait the most peaceful in the Middle East.
• Argentina is the most peaceful country in Latin America.
• The number of forcibly displaced people around the world has tripled from 31 million in 2008 to 117 million in 2024 according to the latest UN figures.
• The USA has dropped one place to 132nd while the UK has moved up three spots to 34th.

Safest countries in the world – ranked

The table below ranks 163 of the world’s countries by how they scored on the Global Peace Index. Some countries have been omitted due to a lack of sufficient data.

More rankings and articles can be found in our remote work area:

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► Most dangerous countries in the world
► Countries with the best healthcare in the world
► World’s worst countries to drive in
► Happiest countries in the world
► Best countries for women
► Poorest countries in the world – ranked
► World’s most powerful passport
► Countries with the fastest internet in the world
► Most stressed countries in the world
► Most expensive cities for expats
► World’s most democratic countries

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Lead image: ANDREW MAYOVSKYY/SHUTTERSTOCK