The safest countries in the world today, according to worldpopulationreview.com, “tend to display high levels of wealth, social welfare, and education” and they “typically have effective criminal justice systems and governments that maintain very healthy relationships with their citizens.” The five safest countries in the world, based on the 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI) score [lower is better] are ranked as follows:
- Iceland
- Austria
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Singapore
The remaining top ten safest countries are: Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, and Malaysia. The United States ranks #131 out of the 163 countries ranked on the Global Peace Index.; a ranking that suggests the relative peril of living in the USA. Unfortunately, according to the 2025 GPI report, “global peace is at its lowest level since the inception of the Index, while the conditions that precede conflict are the worst since WWII.” Moreover, “global peacefulness has deteriorated every year since 2014, with 100 countries deteriorating over the last decade.”
While a lower GPI score is attractive, it is no guarantee of peace or safety. Essentially every country’s most heavily populated cities, for example, have at least some pockets in which crime, social tensions, political battles, etc. take place. But, over all, the most peaceful countries are the most serene places and their populations are happiest. But if all of us who long for peace and tranquility were to rush to the safest, most peaceful countries, I am afraid the influx would reduce the safety and peacefulness of those places. A more effective, but much more time- and energy-consuming approach would be to change nations into environments in which conflicts would be fewer and less damaging. In other words, lifetimes of dedication would be required for such transformation. My optimism about the likelihood of improving safety and peacefulness for all humanity has all but disappeared over the years. Yet another argument for insulation, isolation, solitude, and withdrawal. I wish I could look forward to changing my mind, but I am too much of a realist for that to be likely. On the other hand, the possibility exists. With enough dedicated, charismatic leaders who possess sufficient collective will to radically change global society, my mind could be changed. If my mind can be changed, so can the minds of enough others.
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Last night’s thunderstorms were audibly violent and visually engrossing. Every clap of thunder and flash of lightning shook the house and illuminated the air with an eerie blue light. I have no idea whether the storms were all show…or whether they demonstrated their power by breaking limbs and causing terrified forest beasts to race through the woods in an effort to escape the chaos. I went to bed early, unmoved by Mother Nature’s tantrum. But when the NOAA weather radio shrieked its warnings, I believe the unbelievably loud, shrill noise caused skin to peel from my scalp and burst into flames. My pulse rate jumped to 1200 beats per minute, keeping pace with a hummingbird’s heart beat. When I woke this morning, shortly after 3, I discovered I had survived the night; at least it appears so.
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