Global Safety Index 2026

Question 1

What data sources does the Global Safety Index use?

Answer

The index draws on four primary sources: UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data for crime statistics, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators for political stability, World Health Organisation (WHO) reports for health safety, and the Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace for environmental and conflict-related safety. Where official data is unavailable, we supplement with peer-reviewed studies and national statistics agencies.

Question 2

How are the four category scores weighted?

Answer

Each of the four categories — crime rate, political stability, health safety, and environmental safety — is scored independently from 0 to 100. The overall score is a weighted composite: crime rate (30%), political stability (25%), health safety (25%), and environmental safety (20%). These weights reflect the relative impact each factor has on day-to-day safety for residents and travellers, based on survey data and academic research.

Question 3

How often is the Safety Index updated?

Answer

The full index is recalculated and published annually, typically in January. If a significant event materially changes a country's safety profile mid-year — such as an armed conflict, coup, or major natural disaster — we note the change on the page and flag the affected country until the next full update.

Question 4

How is the crime rate score calculated?

Answer

The crime rate score combines intentional homicide rates (per 100,000 population, sourced from UNODC), reported violent crime including assault and robbery, and property crime prevalence. We also factor in cybercrime incident rates where reliable data exists. Countries with lower per-capita crime rates and stronger rule-of-law enforcement score higher. A score of 97, as Iceland received, indicates near-minimal reported crime across all sub-categories.

Question 5

What does 'political stability' measure in this index?

Answer

Political stability measures the likelihood of government destabilisation through unconstitutional means, the presence of political violence or terrorism, the strength of democratic institutions, and the consistency of the rule of law. We use the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators as the primary dataset, supplemented by the Fragile States Index. Switzerland scores highest in this category (97) due to its long-standing democratic institutions and political neutrality.

Question 6

How is health safety measured?

Answer

Health safety evaluates three dimensions: healthcare access (hospital beds per capita, physician density, and universal coverage), disease risk (prevalence of infectious diseases, vaccination rates), and emergency preparedness (WHO Joint External Evaluation scores). Countries with universal healthcare systems and low infectious disease burdens — such as Iceland and New Zealand — consistently score above 90.

Question 7

What factors are considered in environmental safety?

Answer

Environmental safety accounts for natural disaster exposure (seismic, flood, and cyclone risk from the UN Global Assessment Report), air and water quality (WHO ambient air pollution data and access to clean water metrics), and climate vulnerability (ND-GAIN Country Index scores). New Zealand leads this category at 94 due to low pollution levels, high-quality drinking water, and relatively low disaster frequency.

Question 8

Can safety conditions vary within a country?

Answer

Yes — significantly. The index provides a national-level score, but safety can differ between cities, regions, and neighbourhoods. For example, a country ranked in the top 20 may still have urban areas with elevated crime. For city-level safety data, we recommend cross-referencing with our Global Liveability Index, which includes a stability score for individual cities.

Question 9

Does a high ranking guarantee complete safety?

Answer

No ranking can guarantee personal safety. A high score indicates that a country performs well across measurable safety indicators relative to other nations, but individual experiences vary. We recommend using the index alongside government travel advisories (such as those from DFAT, FCDO, or the US State Department) and local knowledge when making travel or relocation decisions.

Question 10

How does this index differ from government travel advisories?

Answer

Government advisories (DFAT, FCDO, US State Department) focus on immediate risks to travellers and are updated in real time. Our index provides a structured, comparable score across multiple safety dimensions using standardised data — making it better suited for long-term comparisons and relocation planning. We recommend using both: the index for context and benchmarking, and official advisories for up-to-the-moment alerts.


1	Iceland	95	97	96	94	93
2	New Zealand	94	95	95	93	94
3	Switzerland	93	94	97	92	92
4	Denmark	92	93	94	91	91
5	Singapore	91	96	92	90	89
6	Norway	90	92	95	89	90
7	Finland	89	91	93	88	92
8	Canada	88	89	91	87	88
9	Sweden	87	88	90	86	89
10	Netherlands	86	87	89	85	87

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