The Global Peace Index 2023 places Portugal in the world ranking of the safest countries, while warning of the fall in population density – even with the growing trend of immigration – in the coming years
Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace, an Australian non-profit organization based in Australia, releases the Global Peace Index which means a ranking of the most peaceful and safe countries around the world. This study involves 163 independent countries and territories and evaluates 23 indicators, classified into three distinct categories:
- Militarization
- Security and Protection
- Domestic and International Conflicts
The Global Peace Index also analyzes the most dangerous countries in the world, among the various variants that make up the statistical table. According to this ranking, the 20 most peaceful countries in the world, in which there is effectively security for their inhabitants, alternate places, although Portugal is in 6th place for the second consecutive year and Iceland has led this list for more than a decade.
Top 20 most peaceful countries in the world
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Austria
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Singapore
- Japan
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Hungary
- Finland
- Croatia
- Germany
- Norway
- Malaysia
- Bhutan
- Slovakia
In its analysis, the Institute for Economics and Peace, despite considering Portugal the 6th country in the world (among the 163 studied), the most peaceful place to live, addresses the country’s demographic issues and states that “Portugal is different from most other nations European countries, as it has a smaller and smaller population and wants more people to migrate to this country”. The document also states that current projections indicate that estimates point to a decrease in the resident population: “9,877 in 2030 and 8,944,594 in 2050”. Despite these data – elaborated by the Australian organization, at the present time, it classifies Portugal as a peaceful, safe (which is also equivalent to low crime rates) and organized country, among other variants such as the ability to resolve domestic conflicts and international conflicts, data that place the country above others, such as, for example, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, or Norway.
Iceland, which occupies first place in this table for more than a consecutive decade, is not new to the authors of the analysis. They refer that in this country there are undeniable factors such as low crime rates, an exemplary education system, the fact that it provides well-being to its inhabitants, combined with an economy in which payments are fair in all professions and the fact that tension between socioeconomic classes is practically non-existent.
In second place in this ranking, New Zealand stands out, a position it has occupied since 2014. The report highlights factors such as the economy, jobs, and education, as well as the lack of need for police intervention. Close behind – in third place – is Denmark, which, according to the report, ranks particularly well in terms of political stability, freedom of the press, equality in housing issues and human rights.
The worst countries in the world
The Global Peace Index, published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace, also analyzes the worst countries in the world, that is, in contradiction with the most peaceful ones, those where there is no security, protection, freedom and even where the rights, freedoms and guarantees are not respected or are non-existent.
The 10 least peaceful countries in the world:
- Afghanistan
- Yemen
- Syria
- Russia
- South Sudan
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Iraq
- Somalia
- Central African Republic
- Sudan
