Beauty and adventure might inspire a traveller’s bucket list, but safety often seals the deal when it comes to actually booking a trip. After all, it’s hard to enjoy yourself in an unfamiliar place if you’re too scared to step outside your hotel room. That’s where the annual Global Peace Index (GPI) comes in handy. Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace ranks 163 countries across 23 factors, ranging from rates of violence and crime to corruption, terrorism and international conflicts.
So, where do you think Australia would rank? Turns out, a little lower than expected – sitting in 18th place. But hey, that’s a one-place jump from last year’s ranking, and we well and truly beat some of our western, English-speaking counterparts, such as the UK at 30th and the US all the way down at 128th.
Australia ranked as the fifth-most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific, a region that’s held onto its title as the world’s second-most peaceful region since 2017. Ahead of us were New Zealand (third overall), Singapore, Japan and Malaysia. Australia ranked in the global top 25 for societal safety and security, as well as for managing ongoing domestic and international conflict. But our score slipped in the militarisation category – a trend seen worldwide – where we came 82nd.
Overall, the 2025 GPI found that global peace declined for the 13th time in the last 17 years. Curious which country took out the top spot? No surprises here – Iceland has held onto number one since 2008, thanks to its exceptionally low crime rates, minimal military spending and lack of international conflict. Ireland secured second place once again, while our neighbours in New Zealand climbed two spots to number three, boosted by improvements in the safety and security domain, as well as fewer demonstrations and terrorism-related impacts. You can check out the full GPI report and interactive map here, or see a summary of the rankings below.
The 10 safest countries in the world in 2025
- Iceland
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Singapore
- Portugal
- Denmark
- Slovenia
- Finland
The 10 most dangerous countries in the world in 2025
- Mali
- Israel
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Afghanistan
- Yemen
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Sudan
- Ukraine
- Russia