With so much violence and civil unrest in the world, it’s a small comfort that I’ll soon be visiting one of the safest and most serene places on Earth, according to the latest 2016 Global Peace Index.
New Zealand, which may have more sheep than people, is No. 4 out of 163 countries. It gets high marks for its lack of militarization and internal and external conflicts.
The index, which is created by Vision of Humanity, ranks countries on their safety based on factors such as the number of police officers, the murder rate and the level of political instability and terror. Here are the 10 safest countries:
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Austria
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- Czech Republic
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Japan
- Slovenia
The five unsafest countries are Syria, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
Vision of Humanity is part of the Institute for Economics & Peace.
Sheryl Jean 