The 10 Safest Countries In The World (2024)

The Extent of Ongoing Domestic & International Conflict

• Number and duration of internal conflict
• Number of deaths from external organized conflict
• Number of deaths from internal organized conflict
• Number, duration and role in external conflicts
• Intensity of organized internal conflict

The Degree of Militarization

• Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP
• Number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports) per 100,000
• Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people
• Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions
• Nuclear and heavy weapons capabilities
• Ease of access to small arms and light weapons

Spoiler alert: Under that criteria, the United States did not make the top ten safest countries to visit. It didn’t even make the top 100 – were are in an embarrassing 132nd place (just before Iran and Lebanon). Yay us. [/s]

Here’s their list of the ten safest countries for 2024 and comparison to 2023:

1. Iceland (2023: Also #1)
2. Ireland (2023: #3)
3. Austria (2023: #6)
4. New Zealand (2023: #6)
5. Singapore (2023: #9)
6. Switzerland (2023: #10)
7. Portugal (2023: #7)
8. Denmark (2023: #2)
9. Slovenia (2023: #8)
10. Malaysia (2023: Not in the top 10)

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Iceland was #1 – they’ve had that ranking every single year since 2008. And it’s no wonder – they have low crime rates, low military spending and low rates of international conflict. So…yeah.

Some key trends the GPI noted:

• 97 countries deteriorated in peacefulness, more than any year since the inception of the Global Peace Index in 2008.
• 92 countries are currently involved in conflicts beyond their borders, more than at any time since the inception of the GPI.
• 110 million people are either refugees or internally displaced due to violent conflict, with 16 countries now hosting more than half a million refugees.
• North America saw the largest regional deterioration, driven by increases in violent crime and fear of violence.
• The global economic impact of violence increased to $19.1 trillion in 2023, representing 13.5% of global GDP.
• Exposure to conflict poses a significant supply chain risk for governments and businesses.
• Militarization recorded its largest yearly deterioration since the inception of the GPI, with 108 countries becoming more militarized.

More saddening news from GPI:

Last year recorded 162,000 conflict related deaths. This was the second highest toll in the past 30 years, with the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza accounting for nearly three-quarters of deaths. Ukraine represented more than half, recording 83,000 conflict deaths, with estimates of at least 33,000 for Palestine up to April 2024. In the first four months of 2024, conflict related deaths globally amounted to 47,000. If the same rate continues for the rest of this year, it would be the highest number of conflict deaths since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

So yeah – the world, on the whole, is a mess. But we already knew that.

But if you go to Iceland, Ireland, Austria, etc., you should be in good hands. 😉

You can learn the scores of other countries on Vision of Humanity’s website.