Safest Countries to Live, Work and Travel

Safest countries in the world to call home, do business and play.   How does Canada rank on the 2022 Global Peace Index (GPI) in contrast to the United States?

Safest countries taking the top three places in the GPI is Iceland, New Zealand and Ireland. Despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world. Four of the five most peaceful countries are located in this region.

Top 10 Safest Countries

Canada versus the United States

Canada failed to rank among the top 10 most peaceful countries for the first time since 2013. It moved down four ranks ending at 12th place in the 2022 GPI compared to the previous year. This is the first substantial deterioration in peacefulness in more than decade, and the largest decline in score in the North American region in 2022.

The decline was mainly due to the significant rise in political terror scale and violent demonstrations, particularly, the anti-government sentiment in response to pandemic restrictions. Despite the drop in ranking, Canada continues to be the most peaceful nation in the Americas region.

The United States was ranked at 129th place, moving down one rank from last year. Civil unrest continues to be the primary driver of the peacefulness deterioration.

Safest Sun Destinations

Costa Rica, Panama and Dominican Republic topped the 2022 GPI when it comes to sun destinations.  Mexico is the least safest country in the Central America and the Caribbean region.  Central America’s largest and most populous country ranked at 137th place on the 2022 GPI.

Top 10 Most Risky Countries and Rankings

The most dangerous countries in the world are located in the African and Western Asia regions.

1. Afghanistan – 163
2. Yemen – 162
3. Syria – 161
4. Russia – 160
5. South Sudan – 159
6. Democratic Republic of the Congo – 158
7. Iraq – 157
8. Somalia – 156
9. Central African Republic – 155
10. Sudan – 154

Countries and Ranking