The international Institute for Economics & Peace compiles the Global Peace Index every year. It is considered the global measure of world peace, and Austria is among the best countries listed in the index.
Crime and violence are not among the topics that travel agencies publish. This is where the Institute for Economics and Peace 's annual study comes into play: the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 countries around the world, gathering data on factors such as political stability, relations with neighboring countries, number of refugees, nuclear weapons, internal and external conflicts, military spending and incarceration rates are analyzed. Of course, this is about much more than the personal safety of travelers, but it is a good guide for planning a trip.
Iceland tops the list: the country has been number one since 2008. New Zealand follows in second place, with Ireland, Denmark and Austria completing the top five. Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the ten most peaceful countries. Afghanistan is the worst performer for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, Russia and South Sudan.
Finally, GPI 2022 notes that the world has become less peaceful for the 11th time in the last 14 years. The gap between the least and most peaceful countries is increasing. Since 2008, the 25 least peaceful countries have worsened by an average of 16%, while the 25 most peaceful countries have improved by 5.1%. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has had the biggest impact on global peace - the country has dropped 17 places in the rankings - and therefore gets a lot of space in the report. For example, it turns out that this could have a negative impact, especially in the area of ​​militarization, where progress has been made in recent years.
Here are the ten safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index 2022:
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Austria
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Singapore
- Japan
