The world’s safest countries for 2026 have been named as global peace falls to its lowest level since the Global Peace Index began nearly 20 years ago. According to TravelPulse, the latest ranking from the Institute for Economics & Peace places Iceland at No. 1 for the 19th consecutive year, followed by New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Ireland. The annual Global Peace Index measures 163 countries and territories using 23 indicators across three categories: ongoing conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization.
The report gives travelers a broad view of national stability, but it does not replace destination-specific travel advisories, current local safety updates, or health guidance.
Iceland Leads The World’s Safest Countries For The 19th Year
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in the 2026 Global Peace Index, with an overall score of 1.161 and a clear lead over other countries at the top of the ranking. The country’s position reflects low crime, limited exposure to ongoing conflict, high trust in institutions, and very low levels of militarization.
Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the Institute for Economics & Peace, told TravelPulse that Iceland’s ranking rests partly on its “almost complete absence of militarization,” including the fact that Iceland has no standing army. Europe continues to dominate the upper end of the list. Seven of the top 10 countries are in Western and Central Europe, which the Global Peace Index identifies as the world’s most peaceful region.
Slovenia ranked fourth, Austria sixth, Portugal seventh, and Finland ninth. Ireland also remained in the top five. New Zealand ranked second and remained one of the highest-performing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Switzerland placed third, while Singapore ranked eighth. Japan returned to the top 10 after rising three places.
Global Peace Hits Historic Low As Conflict And Military Spending Rise
The safest countries ranking comes as the broader global picture grows more unstable. The Institute for Economics & Peace said global peacefulness deteriorated for the 12th consecutive year in 2026. Its briefing linked the decline to a rise in interconnected conflicts, geopolitical fragmentation, and rapid changes in warfare technology.
The Global Peace Index found that 99 countries saw a deterioration in peacefulness over the past year, the highest number recorded since the index began. TravelPulse reported that 119 countries, equal to 73 percent of the world, are now less peaceful than they were when the index was first published in 2007.
The number of countries involved in external conflict has also increased sharply. The 2026 Global Peace Index briefing said 103 countries were at least partially involved in some form of external conflict in the past five years, up from 59 in 2008. The report also said the number of conflicts has reached its highest point since the end of World War II, with 61 active state-based conflicts recorded in 2024.
The economic cost of violence also rose. The global economic impact of violence increased by 3.2 percent to $21.81 trillion in 2025, equal to 10.5 percent of global GDP. The report also said deaths from global conflict remained at historic highs, with more than 181,000 people killed in 2025.
Top 10 Safest Countries In The World For 2026
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Ireland
- Austria
- Portugal
- Singapore
- Finland
- Japan
The top 10 list shows that the world’s safest countries tend to share low levels of violent conflict, stable institutions, lower crime risks, and limited involvement in external conflict. Killelea told TravelPulse that countries at the top of the index often have a strong rule of law, accountable institutions, high social cohesion, low corruption, and little or no involvement in external conflicts.
Still, the index measures national peacefulness, not every risk a visitor may face during a specific trip. Travelers should also review current government advisories, entry rules, local laws, weather risks, health requirements, transportation conditions, and neighborhood-level safety information before booking or departing. A country can rank highly for peace and still have destination-specific risks that require planning.
