The think tank Institute for Economics and Peace published the Global Peace Index 2017, which reveals the safest — as well as the most dangerous — countries in the world.
The report ranked 163 countries based on how peaceful they are. The rankings were determined by 23 factors, which included homicide rate, political terror, and deaths from internal conflict.
Overall, the report found that 93 countries have become more peaceful since last year, and that 68 countries have become less peaceful. Therefore, the world has become a marginally better place since 2016.
Of the 12 safest countries, eight are in Europe, with New Zealand (2nd), Canada (8th), Japan (11th), and Australia (12th) also making the list. The United Kingdom ranked 41st, while the United States ranked 114th, dropping 11 spots since last year.
Among the most dangerous countries were Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Here are the 12 safest countries in the world, along with their respective peace scores:
- Australia - 1.425
- Japan - 1.408
- Ireland - 1.408
- Switzerland - 1.373
- Canada - 1.371
- Slovenia - 1.364
- Czech Republic - 1.360
- Denmark - 1.337
- Austria - 1.265
- Portugal - 1.258
- New Zealand - 1.241
- Iceland - 1.111