Iceland tops the safest countries in the world in 2026, scoring 1.161 on the Global Peace Index among 163 countries and territories. That is its 19th straight year at the top, and New Zealand, the closest rival, trails by 0.182 points. The list runs from first to tenth, with each score and homicide rate.
The ranking is the 20th edition of the index, published in June 2026. Scores run from 1 to 5, and lower means more peaceful. Seven of the top 10 sit in Western and Central Europe, and nine of the 10 were already in the top 10 a year earlier. Every homicide figure is printed with its year.
Top 10 Peace Index Scores, Gaps Between Places and Homicide Rates
| # | Country | GPI 2026 score | Gap to the country above | Homicides per 100,000 (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1.161 | Leader | 1.82 (2024) |
| 2 | New Zealand | 1.343 | 0.182 | 1.46 (2022) |
| 3 | Switzerland | 1.363 | 0.020 | 0.50 (2024) |
| 4 | Slovenia | 1.369 | 0.006 | 0.71 (2024) |
| 5 | Ireland | 1.371 | 0.002 | 0.69 (2024) |
| 6 | Austria | 1.421 | 0.050 | 0.85 (2024) |
| 7 | Portugal | 1.427 | 0.006 | 0.68 (2024) |
| 8 | Singapore | 1.435 | 0.008 | 0.07 (2023) |
| 9 | Finland | 1.478 | 0.043 | 1.78 (2024) |
| 10 | Japan | 1.489 | 0.011 | 0.23 (2023) |
Safest Countries in the World, Ranked From 1 to 10
1. Iceland: No Army, Low Crime and a 0.182-Point Cushion
Rank: 1 of 163 · GPI score: 1.161 · Homicide rate: 1.82 per 100,000 (2024) · Years in first place: 19 in a row
Iceland’s 1.161 is the only score in the top 10 below 1.3. The report credits the absence of a standing military, very low crime and strong social cohesion. This year the overall score improved 2%, with Safety and Security up 4% on a 42.9% improvement in the violent demonstrations indicator.
Visit Iceland, the national promotion body, says there are no animal predators dangerous to humans and gives 112 as the emergency number; the real hazards are snowstorms, avalanches and eruptions. The homicide rate was 1.06 per 100,000 in 2022, 1.29 in 2023 and 1.82 in 2024. With fewer than 400,000 residents, far below the most populous countries, a few cases move that rate a long way.
2. New Zealand: Lowest Conflict Score in Asia-Pacific
Rank: 2 of 163 · GPI score: 1.343 · Homicide rate: 1.46 per 100,000 (2022) · Gap to Switzerland: 0.020
New Zealand is the most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region and second in the world. The report puts it among the global leaders on both the Ongoing Conflict and the Safety and Security domains, with the lowest Ongoing Conflict score of any Asia-Pacific country.
Its overall score improved 0.4% in 2026 because Militarisation improved 3.3%, helped by fewer weapons imports. The latest homicide rate in the World Bank series is 1.46 per 100,000 for 2022, after 1.03 in 2020 and 1.16 in 2021.
3. Switzerland: A 0.50 Homicide Rate Inside a Tight Podium
Rank: 3 of 163 · GPI score: 1.363 · Homicide rate: 0.50 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over Slovenia: 0.006
Switzerland finishes 0.006 ahead of Slovenia and 0.020 behind New Zealand. It is one of seven Western and Central European countries in the top 10.
Police-recorded intentional homicide was 0.48 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.60 in 2023 and 0.50 in 2024. The 2024 figure is the lowest among the European countries in the table, and well under the 1.82 recorded for first-placed Iceland.
4. Slovenia: Fourth Place, Quoted by Its Tourist Board
Rank: 4 of 163 · GPI score: 1.369 · Homicide rate: 0.71 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over Ireland: 0.002
The Slovenian Tourist Board describes the country as one of the safest places in the world and cites its 2026 finish of fourth globally and third in Western and Central Europe.
Recorded homicide was 0.62 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.61 in 2023 and 0.71 in 2024. Slovenia’s small population means a few cases are enough to move the yearly rate.
5. Ireland: A Place Decided by 0.002
Rank: 5 of 163 · GPI score: 1.371 · Homicide rate: 0.69 per 100,000 (2024) · Gap to Austria: 0.050
Ireland scores 1.371, just 0.002 behind Slovenia, the closest gap anywhere in the top 10.
The homicide rate was 0.81 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.63 in 2023 and 0.69 in 2024. That 2024 rate matches the figure for Hungary, which ranks 15th, and sits below both Iceland and Finland.
6. Austria: Sixth Place With a Homicide Rate That Has Crept Up
Rank: 6 of 163 · GPI score: 1.421 · Homicide rate: 0.85 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over Portugal: 0.006
Austria scores 1.421, which is 0.050 behind Ireland. Portugal follows by only 0.006.
Police-recorded intentional homicide rose from 0.72 per 100,000 in 2022 to 0.82 in 2023 and 0.85 in 2024. That is higher than Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland and Portugal, and lower than Iceland and Finland.
7. Portugal: Seventh, With Homicide Easing Each Year
Rank: 7 of 163 · GPI score: 1.427 · Homicide rate: 0.68 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over Singapore: 0.008
Portugal scores 1.427, completing a run of Ireland, Austria and Portugal in places five to seven. Singapore trails it by 0.008.
Its homicide rate has moved down every year in the series: 0.72 per 100,000 in 2022, 0.70 in 2023 and 0.68 in 2024. Only Switzerland, at 0.50, recorded a lower 2024 rate among the top-10 European countries.
8. Singapore: The Top 15 Low Point for Homicide
Rank: 8 of 163 · GPI score: 1.435 · Homicide rate: 0.07 per 100,000 (2023) · Gap to Finland: 0.043
Singapore is the highest-placed Asian country at eighth, 0.054 ahead of Japan. The World Bank series, compiled from United Nations crime data, shows 0.11 homicides per 100,000 in 2021, 0.12 in 2022 and 0.07 in 2023.
That 2023 figure is the lowest of the 15 countries in the top-15 table. The counts behind it are very small, so one fewer case in a year changes the rate noticeably.
9. Finland: Ninth Overall, With a 1.78 Homicide Rate
Rank: 9 of 163 · GPI score: 1.478 · Homicide rate: 1.78 per 100,000 (2024) · Lead over Japan: 0.011
Visit Finland, the national tourism board, describes the country as among the top performers in the Global Peace Index and says the streets are safe. Its score of 1.478 is 0.011 ahead of Japan.
Recorded homicide was 1.50 per 100,000 in 2022, 1.15 in 2023 and 1.78 in 2024, the second-highest of the European countries in the top 15 after Iceland. Denmark at 0.87, Czechia at 0.63 and Hungary at 0.69 all rank lower on the peace score yet recorded lower homicide rates in 2024.
10. Japan: A Flat 0.23 for Three Years Running
Rank: 10 of 163 · GPI score: 1.489 · Homicide rate: 0.23 per 100,000 (2023) · Gap to Denmark: 0.015
Japan closes the top 10 at 1.489, 0.015 clear of Denmark in 11th. Its World Bank homicide rate stood at 0.23 per 100,000 in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the only unchanged line among the top 10.
The Japan National Tourism Organization runs a Japan Safe Travel service that carries emergency and safety information for visitors. Singapore, eighth, is the only other Asian country in the top 10.
Six Asian and Pacific Countries in the Top 20, From New Zealand to Australia
New Zealand leads the region at second place, followed by Singapore in eighth and Japan in tenth. Malaysia is 12th at 1.513, the third Asian country in the top 15, and Bhutan follows in 16th at 1.546. Australia completes the group in 20th at 1.602.
The World Bank series gives homicide rates per 100,000 of 0.07 for Singapore, 0.23 for Japan, 0.73 for Malaysia and 0.85 for Australia, all in 2023, and 1.46 for New Zealand in 2022. Only 0.259 separates New Zealand from Australia.
What Changed in the 2026 Edition, From Poland’s 23-Place Climb to Nepal’s Slide
Poland made the biggest improvement of any country, a 9.1% better score that lifted it 23 places to 22nd at 1.615. Nepal recorded the largest deterioration, down 9.1% after the Gen Z protests of September 2025. South Asia had the largest regional decline, driven by Nepal and Pakistan, while Eastern Europe and Central Asia was the only region to improve.
The global picture is weaker than the top of the table. Average peacefulness fell 0.7%, the 12th consecutive annual deterioration, with 99 of 163 countries worse and 62 better. Russia is last at 3.367, the first time it has ranked least peaceful, with Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine and Israel completing the bottom five. The economic cost of violence reached US$21.8 trillion in 2025, equal to 10.5% of global output, a scale you can set against the largest economies in the world.
Homicide moved the other way over the long run. The average rate in the index fell from 7.8 to 6.0 per 100,000 between 2008 and the latest data, and the number of countries below 1 per 100,000 rose from 16 to 39.
The United States at 134th, With the UK, Canada and Australia for Comparison
The United States ranks 134th with a score of 2.535, its lowest placing since the index began. Its score worsened 4%, mainly because political instability rose 38.5% and violent demonstrations increased. The US homicide rate was 5.76 per 100,000 in 2023.
Canada is the most peaceful country in North America at 14th with 1.525. It improved 0.1% this year on a 1.8% gain in Safety and Security, although 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.
The United Kingdom is 39th at 1.730, 0.205 behind Canada, with a homicide rate of 1.12 per 100,000 in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank series. The US sits 1.374 points behind Iceland and 0.805 behind the UK.
Reading a 1-to-5 Score Built From 23 Indicators and Three Domains
The Global Peace Index comes from the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney and covers 163 independent states and territories, 99.7% of the world’s population. It uses 23 indicators in three domains: Societal Safety and Security with 11, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict with six, and Militarisation with six. Each indicator is scaled from 1 to 5, and internal peace carries a 60% weight against 40% for external peace.
The index measures negative peace, the absence of violence or the fear of it, so it captures conflict, weapons and political instability alongside crime. A higher peace rank therefore does not mean a lower homicide rate. Iceland and Finland record higher homicide rates than some lower-ranked countries, 1.82 and 1.78 per 100,000 in 2024 against 0.87 for Denmark, 0.63 for Czechia and 0.69 for Hungary.
The homicide figures are the latest available for each country: Eurostat police-recorded rates for 2024 across the European countries, Statistics Canada for 2025, and World Bank rates from United Nations crime data for 2021 to 2023 elsewhere. National definitions vary and small populations swing yearly rates, so each figure is a reading on one country’s own trend, not a ranking.
Five Checks Before You Use a Peace Score to Pick a Destination
A peace score is a good summary of overall stability and a poor stand-in for personal risk. These steps keep the two apart:
- Read the gap, not the place. Ireland is 0.002 behind Slovenia, while Iceland is 0.182 ahead of New Zealand.
- Match the year. Switzerland’s 0.50 is a 2024 rate, Singapore’s 0.07 is from 2023 and New Zealand’s 1.46 is from 2022.
- Compare homicide rates only inside one dataset, such as the 2024 police-recorded rates for the European entries.
- Allow for small populations, since Iceland’s rate rose from 1.06 to 1.82 in two years.
- Add the happiest countries in the world alongside safety if daily life matters as much as risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead of the rest is Iceland on the peace score?
Iceland’s 1.161 is 0.182 points ahead of New Zealand at 1.343 and 0.328 points ahead of Japan in tenth at 1.489. After that opening gap, none of the next nine steps in the top 10 exceeds 0.050.
Which Asian countries rank among the most peaceful?
Singapore is eighth at 1.435, Japan tenth at 1.489, Malaysia 12th at 1.513 and Bhutan 16th at 1.546. Singapore and Japan are the only two Asian countries in the top 10.
Why is the United States ranked 134th?
Its score of 2.535 is the worst the country has recorded since the index began. It worsened 4% in 2026 because of a 38.5% rise in political instability and more violent demonstrations, and its 2023 homicide rate was 5.76 per 100,000.
Which country improved the most in 2026?
Poland, whose score improved 9.1%, moving it up 23 places to 22nd at 1.615. Nepal moved the other way with a 9.1% deterioration.
