World's safest countries revealed: Most peaceful places on Earth, from Latvia to Iceland

For 11th consecutive year, European nation of Iceland ranked as world's safest place

Croatia is number 27 on the list of world's safest countries

(Matthew Williams-Ellis, Rex Features)

The safest countries in the world have been revealed in the latest Global Peace Index, which ranks major nations by how peaceful they are.

The report, published by think tank the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranked 163 countries by 23 factors, including murder rate, political terror, and deaths from internal conflict.

For an 11th consecutive year, the northern European nation of Iceland is ranked as the world’s safest place.

Home to around 300,000 people, Iceland’s crime rate is incredibly low, with just 1.8 murders per 100,000 people annually. That’s around one-third the murder rate in the USA.

Most countries high up on the index are western, although a handful of developed economies in Asia, as well as small island nations, made the ranking.

The index ranks countries from high to low, so the lower the number, the safer the country.

Here is the list of the safest 31 countries:

31. Latvia — 1.689

30. Spain — 1.678

La Concha beach in San Sebastian, Spain

(REUTERS)

29. Botswana — 1.659

28. Chile — 1.649

27. Croatia — 1.639

26. Bulgaria — 1.635

One of the golden domes of Alexander Nevski cathedral in central Sofia, Bulgaria

(REUTERS)

25. Malaysia — 1.619

24. Romania — 1.596

23. The Netherlands — 1.574

22. Slovakia — 1.568

21. Belgium — 1.560

20. Mauritius — 1.548

19. Bhutan — 1.545

A view of the fortress, Tashichhodzong, in Thimpu, Bhutan

(REUTERS)

17. Hungary — 1.531

17. Germany — 1.531

16. Norway — 1.519

15. Finland — 1.506

14. Sweden — 1.502

13. Australia — 1.435

Sydney harbour 

(iStock/Getty Images)

12. Switzerland — 1.407

11. Slovenia — 1.396

10. Ireland — 1.393

9. Japan — 1.391

Hong Kong at night (istock)

(iStock)

8. Singapore — 1.382

7. Czech Republic — 1.381

6. Canada — 1.372

Toronto’s skyline

(Getty Images)

5. Denmark — 1.35

4. Portugal — 1.318

3. Austria — 1.274

2. New Zealand — 1.192

Reykjavik, Iceland (Moritz Wolf, Rex Features)

(Rex)

1. Iceland — 1.09

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