The US Doesn’t Make List of Top 120 Safest Countries in the World
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The United States isn’t among the top 100 safest countries in the world — in fact, it isn’t even among the top 120 safest.
That is what new rankings from the Institute for Economics and Peace say. The organization released its 2018 Global Peace Index, which ranks 163 independent countries and territories according to their levels of peacefulness.
The report analyzes 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators and measures the state of peace based on cultural, economic and political factors, such as ongoing domestic and international conflict and militarization.
Clocking in as the safest country is Iceland for the tenth year in a row, followed by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and Denmark.
Europe was ranked the most peaceful region — although its overall rating fell for the third straight year due to increasing political instability and terrorism. The index found that the overall global level of peace has also declined for the fourth year in a row.
Bringing up the back half of the list is the US, ranking at No. 121. The report says it’s the US’ worst level on the index since 2012, and it’s the second year in a row the country has had a decline in overall peace due to several key factors, including incarceration rate, external conflicts, weapons exports and its arsenal of nuclear and other heavy weapons.
In another analysis, the Gallup 2018 Global Law and Order report, 142 countries were ranked based on residents’ sense of safety and security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement. Singapore took the top spot on that list, followed by Norway and Iceland — trailed by the US at No. 35.
Featured image of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland by Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash.
*This post has been updated to reflect that Iceland has been ranked safest country for 10 years, not eight.
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