Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, and Switzerland consistently rank as the world's top safest countries, according to recent Global Peace Index (GPI) reports (2024/2025), followed closely by Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, and Finland, reflecting low crime, high political stability, and minimal conflict. These nations prioritize social investment, strong healthcare, and education, fostering stable environments with low crime rates and high public trust, making them ideal places for both residents and travelers seeking peace.
Australia ranks as the 2nd safest country in the world for 2026 🇦🇺✨ New global safety findings highlight Australia's strong healthcare system, low crime levels, political stability, and high quality of life.
Crime rate by country 2025: 10 countries with the highest crime...
Top 20 safest countries in the world in 2025
Denmark. Denmark is at the top of the list of the top ten countries for quality of life. This small Nordic country consistently ranks highly in international surveys on factors like happiness, income equality, safety, and access to education.
According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row. It's followed by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands in the annual survey released on Thursday, March 20, 2025, that ranks countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in 2021, a position it has held since 2008.
According to the latest 2025 CEOWORLD Health Care Index, Taiwan once again ranks as the country with the best healthcare in the world, maintaining its top position with an overall score of 78.72. South Korea (77.7) and Australia (74.11) remain in second and third place, respectively.
Iceland, New Zealand, and Ireland again lead with the world's lowest crime rates in 2025. Countries like Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Singapore follow closely, powered by strong laws and social trust. Know more below about what makes these nations so safe.
Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2021 was 0.74, a 13.52% decline from 2020. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2020 was. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2019 was 0.89, a 0.29% increase from 2018. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2018 was 0.88, a 4.6% increase from 2017.
In 2023, the rate of police-reported violent crime continued to be lower in Canada than the United States (252 incidents per 100,000 population versus 334 incidents), though the gap between the two countries has narrowed over the last 25 years.
Low crime rates for your peace of mind
Canberra is officially Australia's #1 safest city, with a crime index rating of 26 out of 100. That places it as the 49th safest city in the world. This ranking comes from Compare the Market Australia, which analysed 6 years of public data from Numbeo's crime index.
Homicide rate: Australia's homicide rate hovers around 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to the U.S. rate of approximately 6 per 100,000. Property crime: Both countries experience property crime, but Australia's rates are generally lower, and violent property crimes (like armed burglary) are less common.
Hobart, Tasmania, is widely recognized as the cheapest major city, but smaller regional towns in Queensland and South Australia can offer even lower living costs.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is consistently ranked as the #1 hospital in the world by publications like Newsweek and Statista, earning this title for multiple years due to its high quality of care, patient safety, and outcomes, with rankings also highlighting its excellence in numerous specialized fields.
The best doctors in the world are often found in countries with top-ranked healthcare systems and medical education. These include the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Introduction. In the 2024 World Index of Health Innovation, Australia secured the 9th position overall, a decline from 5th place in 2022. This ranking highlights Australia's strengths in Quality and Choice, where it stands 6th and 3rd respectively.
Yemen is the least peaceful country in the world in the 2024 GPI, followed by Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. This is the first year that Yemen has been ranked as the least peaceful country in the world, with the country having fallen 24 places in the rankings since the inception of the index.
Education and human capital: The wealth of nations
Nations that invest in education, skill development, and healthcare tend to outperform those that don't. Example – Consider Japan, a country with limited natural resources, yet it boasts one of the largest economies in the world.
Global inequality is well known, and the report shows how the top 10% own 75% of all global wealth.
By 2050, China is projected to be the world's richest country by total GDP, leading a significant shift where emerging economies like India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Russia rise to challenge traditional giants, with the U.S. potentially falling to third, while Singapore might become the richest per capita (PPP), though these predictions depend heavily on technological progress, political stability, and growth rates.
No, the U.S. is richer than China overall by most measures like nominal GDP and wealth per person, but China's economy is larger when adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and it leads in some areas like manufacturing output, though average living standards remain lower in China. The U.S. has the world's largest economy by nominal GDP, but China's economy, when considering what money can buy domestically (PPP), is larger, although per capita figures show the U.S. is much wealthier per person.