Safest countries in the world 2026

Iceland is the safest country in the world on the Global Peace Index 2026, with a score of 1.161, ahead of New Zealand (1.343), Switzerland (1.363), Slovenia and Ireland. "Safest" depends on the index you use: this one, from the Institute for Economics & Peace, scores 163 countries on 23 indicators across three domains, societal safety, ongoing conflict and militarisation. A country can therefore slip down the list because of its army or a distant war while its streets stay calm. That is why the table adds the World Bank homicide rate: among the twenty most peaceful countries it runs from 0.07 in Singapore to 2.50 in Latvia. The institute itself says its ranking should not be the sole basis for a decision. Nor does a rank tell you what you would keep there, so the tool below runs your salary through the real tax table of each ranked country this site calculates.

The safe country where you keep the most

🇸🇬 Singapore

$92,976 a year · 93%

Net pay and share kept in the safest countries
Rank	Net a year	Kept
2. New Zealand	$71,153	71%
3. Switzerland	$79,076	79%
5. Ireland	$66,571	67%
6. Austria	$63,522	64%
7. Portugal	$59,054	59%
8. Singapore	$92,976	93%
9. Finland	$64,215	64%
10. Japan	$67,550	68%

Single employee, 2026 tax table, exchange rate of 2 November 2026. Only countries whose tax this site calculates appear here.

How we calculate

Global Peace Index 2026 ranking

Global Peace Index ranking, top 30 countries
Rank, country	Score (1 = most peaceful)	Homicides per 100,000
1. Iceland	1.161	1.29
2. New Zealand	1.343	1.46
3. Switzerland	1.363	0.60
4. Slovenia	1.369	0.57
5. Ireland	1.371	0.65
6. Austria	1.421	0.88
7. Portugal	1.427	0.72
8. Singapore	1.435	0.07
9. Finland	1.478	0.98
10. Japan	1.489	0.23
11. Denmark	1.504	0.84
12. Malaysia	1.513	0.73
13. Czechia	1.517	0.77
14. Canada	1.525	1.98
15. Hungary	1.538	0.72
16. Bhutan	1.546	2.47
17. Netherlands	1.566	0.69
18. Mauritius	1.586	2.27
19. Latvia	1.589	2.50
20. Australia	1.602	0.85
21. Belgium	1.608	1.08
22. Poland	1.615	0.80
23. Croatia	1.619	0.67
24. Lithuania	1.620	2.63
25. Estonia	1.623	1.54
26. Bulgaria	1.628	1.09
27. Spain	1.654	0.69
28. Germany	1.657	0.91
29. Slovakia	1.661	1.12
30. Montenegro	1.672	0.79

Show the full ranking

Global Peace Index ranking, the remaining countries
31. Qatar	1.676	0.07
32. Timor-Leste	1.681	n/a
33. Norway	1.688	0.72
34. Mongolia	1.692	5.92
35. Italy	1.712	0.57
36. Albania	1.725	1.39
37. Uzbekistan	1.726	1.40
38. Equatorial Guinea	1.729	n/a
39. United Kingdom	1.730	1.12
40. Sweden	1.732	1.15
41. Vietnam	1.738	n/a
42. Taiwan	1.751	n/a
43. Uruguay	1.754	11.25
44. Kazakhstan	1.771	2.55
45. Romania	1.788	1.11
46. North Macedonia	1.792	1.53
47. Tajikistan	1.799	0.89
48. Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.810	1.22
49. Kuwait	1.813	0.25
50. Botswana	1.823	11.37
51. Armenia	1.825	2.21
52. Chile	1.826	6.35
53. Greece	1.828	0.84
54. Kosovo	1.830	1.89
55. Moldova	1.836	2.54
56. Gambia	1.837	n/a
57. South Korea	1.839	0.48
58. Laos	1.846	n/a
59. Madagascar	1.849	n/a
60. Oman	1.850	0.14
61. Kyrgyzstan	1.853	1.75
62. Costa Rica	1.860	17.75
63. Namibia	1.872	11.21
64. Paraguay	1.882	6.78
65. Morocco	1.887	1.71
66. Turkmenistan	1.903	n/a
67. Sri Lanka	1.910	n/a
68. Jordan	1.913	0.99
69. Indonesia	1.918	0.30
70. Jamaica	1.919	49.44
70. Serbia	1.919	1.31
72. Argentina	1.922	4.49
73. United Arab Emirates	1.927	0.69
74. Sierra Leone	1.937	2.22
75. Senegal	1.939	n/a
76. Ghana	1.943	1.83
77. Tunisia	1.947	4.69
78. Angola	1.955	n/a
79. Trinidad & Tobago	1.959	40.44
80. Cyprus	1.967	0.82
81. Panama	1.976	11.71
82. Zambia	1.992	n/a
83. Malawi	1.994	n/a
84. Papua New Guinea	2.002	n/a
85. Guinea-Bissau	2.012	n/a
86. Lesotho	2.016	n/a
87. Liberia	2.024	n/a
88. Guatemala	2.025	23.37
89. Dominican Republic	2.038	10.92
90. Zimbabwe	2.051	6.76
91. Algeria	2.053	1.16
92. Bolivia	2.054	4.42
93. Côte d’Ivoire	2.061	n/a
94. Georgia	2.066	n/a
95. Saudi Arabia	2.067	n/a
96. Cambodia	2.075	n/a
97. Honduras	2.075	31.44
98. Tanzania	2.080	3.75
99. France	2.083	1.34
100. Gabon	2.086	n/a
101. Thailand	2.089	n/a
102. Philippines	2.092	4.35
103. Guyana	2.093	19.12
104. Eswatini	2.095	12.51
105. Djibouti	2.098	n/a
106. Nicaragua	2.107	11.35
107. Peru	2.120	8.60
108. Bahrain	2.131	0.20
109. Cuba	2.139	n/a
110. Azerbaijan	2.142	2.16
111. Nepal	2.143	2.13
112. Mauritania	2.184	1.00
113. Egypt	2.186	n/a
114. Rwanda	2.200	3.61
115. Belarus	2.216	n/a
116. Guinea	2.220	n/a
117. Bangladesh	2.226	n/a
118. China	2.231	0.50
119. Togo	2.251	n/a
120. Congo	2.256	n/a
121. El Salvador	2.264	7.90
122. Benin	2.293	n/a
123. South Africa	2.308	43.72
124. Brazil	2.333	19.28
125. Libya	2.361	n/a
126. Mozambique	2.383	n/a
127. India	2.409	2.82
128. Eritrea	2.412	n/a
129. Burundi	2.417	n/a
130. Uganda	2.420	8.97
131. Lebanon	2.435	2.24
132. Kenya	2.447	4.87
133. Venezuela	2.516	12.65
134. United States	2.535	5.76
135. Ecuador	2.539	45.72
136. Türkiye	2.605	3.23
137. Cameroon	2.634	6.76
138. Ethiopia	2.648	n/a
139. Mexico	2.650	24.86
140. Iraq	2.662	n/a
141. Colombia	2.735	24.91
142. Haiti	2.755	41.15
142. Nigeria	2.755	15.75
144. Iran	2.759	n/a
145. Chad	2.769	n/a
146. Niger	2.832	n/a
147. North Korea	2.845	n/a
148. Palestine	2.877	0.62
149. Burkina Faso	2.882	n/a
150. Central African Republic	2.906	n/a
151. Myanmar (Burma)	2.911	2.58
152. Pakistan	2.919	4.33
153. Somalia	2.973	n/a
154. Mali	2.996	n/a
155. Syria	3.067	n/a
156. Yemen	3.081	n/a
157. Afghanistan	3.106	4.03
158. South Sudan	3.116	n/a
159. Israel	3.124	1.63
160. Ukraine	3.184	3.78
161. DR Congo	3.189	n/a
162. Sudan	3.195	n/a
163. Russia	3.367	6.77

Ranks and scores: Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2026, June 2026. Homicides: World Bank / UNODC, latest year published since 2020, n/a if none. Tied ranks kept as published (70, 142).

What the Global Peace Index measures

The index scores countries from 1, the most peaceful, to 5. Societal safety looks at perceived crime, homicides and violent demonstrations; ongoing conflict counts deaths and wars, including those fought abroad; militarisation weighs arms spending and armed forces. That is why the United States comes only 134 of 163, with a score of 2.535, France 99 and the United Kingdom 39, far from what crime alone would suggest.

Do safety and take-home pay go together?

Not necessarily. On 100,000 dollars gross, a single person would keep 71% in New Zealand, 79% in Switzerland, 67% in Ireland, before any new-resident regime. The most peaceful country this site calculates is not the one that leaves the most money, and the gap deserves a figure based on your own salary.

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Questions

Which is the safest country in the world in 2026?

Iceland, ranked first on the Global Peace Index 2026 with a score of 1.161, on a scale where the lowest score is best. New Zealand and Switzerland follow. Last place goes to Russia, at 3.367. The ranking covers peace in the broad sense, and another index would give a different order.

Is the United States a safe country on this index?

It ranks 134 of 163, with a score of 2.535 and 5.76 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023. The index also penalises militarisation and involvement in foreign conflicts, which weighs on that rank whatever daily life is like in a given district. A national average hides wide gaps between cities.

Is Singapore safer than Switzerland?

It depends on the measure. On the Global Peace Index, Switzerland ranks 3 and Singapore 8. On homicides, Singapore shows 0.07 per 100,000 in 2023 and Switzerland 0.60 in 2023. Two close countries can swap places depending on the indicator, which is why the table shows both columns.

Why is a ranking not enough to choose where to live?

Because it compares whole countries, not a city or your situation. The institute itself points out that its ranks are relative and reflect its reading of the data. A decision also needs schools, health, tax and prices, which this site's comparison and country pages bring together for the countries it calculates.

Sources

Published by Radif Partners

Independent publisher of international tax comparisons built from official tax tables

Updated on November 3, 2026 · Editorial policy · Contact

Figures 2026, checked on November 3, 2026