Singapore is often touted as one of the world’s safest countries, even gaining a reputation for being a “fine” city, with strict rules and regulations set in place to deter petty crimes.
However, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025 produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), five countries rank ahead of Singapore.
The 19th edition of the index finds that peacefulness has generally declined on a global level, with more countries increasing their militarisation amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
The GPI evaluates 163 countries using 23 indicators that measure the absence of violence or fear of violence.
Source: IEP
These indicators are then grouped into three domains:
Countries receive a score for each domain, before a final score is tabulated.
Source: IEP
They are scored on a scale from 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful) — with lower scores indicating safer countries.
For context, Singapore received a score of 1.357, and has maintained its overall position in sixth.
The Lion City lost the most points in the ‘militarisation’ domain, with a score of 2.01, despite its top five ranking in both ‘safety and security’ and ‘ongoing conflict’.
Still surprised that Singapore isn’t top? Here’s a look of the five countries supposedly “safer” than Singapore — and why.
With no standing army and a track record of avoiding conflict, Iceland has long been the gold standard for peace.
Source: Travalot
Top of the GPI list since 2008, Iceland has maintained its status as the world’s safest country for the 18th year running.
According to the GPI, Iceland tops all three domains, with a total score of 1.095.
In fact, in a year where overall global peace has declined, Iceland has reported a 2% increase in overall peacefulness in 2025.
Source: Iceland Travel
The country boasts a relatively small population of around 402,000, and an extremely low intentional homicide rate of around 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2023.
Iceland is also a country without a military, and has focused on a comprehensive and multilateral approach towards security affairs.
Throughout its history, Iceland has never been part of a fully-fledged war, or an invasion.
Source: Interpol
However, Iceland has prepared itself through increasing defence-related spending by around 20% yearly since 2016.
This has resulted in the slight decrease in score for Ireland’s military expenditure — marking the only deterioration in an otherwise unblemished scorecard.
Another advantage Iceland holds is its geographical location.
Source: Britannica
As a relatively remote country away from mainland Europe, this may prove beneficial in maintaining its safety, should a full-blown conflict ensue.
While some may associate Ireland with Conor McGregor and his fighting exploits in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), his home country appears to be quite less chaotic.
Ireland retained its spot as the second-most peaceful country in the world for 2025, with a GPI score of 1.260.
Source: Jason Murphy on Unsplash
It places in the top 10 across the three domains, with its highest ranking in the militarisation domain.
This is unsurprising, given Ireland’s longstanding policy of military neutrality, where it does not partake in international conflicts, nor does it join military alliances.
Another reason for Ireland’s strong performance in the militarisation domain is its minimal military expenditure.
Source: Irish Defence and Security Association
According to the World Bank Group, Ireland spends just north of 0.2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024 on military expenditure.
Might having more sheep than people in a country make it more peaceful?
Source: Viator
New Zealand, with a population of about 5.3 million, ranks third globally with a GPI score of 1.282.
It has climbed two spots, recording a 3.1% improvement in peacefulness compared to the year prior.
Source: Zicasso
According to the report, New Zealand ranks joint first in the domestic and international conflict domain, with a perfect score, and only two indicators under the militarisation domain deteriorated — military expenditure and weapons imports.
While there may have been a decrease in its militarisation score, New Zealand has performed admirably in the other two domains.
Source: New Zealand Police on Facebook
Most notably, its safety and security domain score improved by 7.6%, which was attributed to “improvements on violent demonstrations and terrorism impact.”
New Zealand’s intentional homicide rate of around 1.2 per 100,000 people is also comparable to that of Iceland, reinforcing its status as a safe country with low violent crime rates.
Better known for classical music and alpine landscapes, Austria is also one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
Source: International Traveller
It comes in fourth on the global GPI rankings, with a GPI score of 1.294.
While it may have slipped one position as compared to 2024, Austria’s GPI score actually improved marginally.
Similar to Ireland, Austria has a policy of military neutrality.
Source: UCL Diplomacy
As such, it is not involved in alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Internally, Austria is seen as a relatively safe country as well by its locals.
In an interview with BBC, Austrian hotel owner Armin Pfurtscheller pointed out that Austria’s “strong social safety net, world-class healthcare and excellent education foster stability and trust“.
Source: Guidester
As such, many feel safe enough to leave doors and vehicles unlocked and take midnight strolls, he added.
Famous for its banks, chocolates, and mountains — Switzerland rounds out the top five as one of the world’s safest countries.
Source: AISTS – International Academy of Sport Science and Technology
Switzerland is tied with Austria at a GPI score of 1.294.
According to the GPI report, Switzerland places in the top 10 of the conflict domain and societal safety and security domain.
Switzerland is not only low on crime, but it is also a stable, democratic country.
Source: SBB
It currently holds the top spot in the 2026 Human Freedom Index out of 162 countries evaluated around the globe.
However, it is slightly held back in the militarisation domain, where they are placed 29th globally.
This may be due to an increase in military spending, amid an increasingly uncertain global security environment.
Source: Army Technology
Still, Switzerland’s long-standing neutrality, strong institutions, and low levels of violence continue to cement its position as one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
But at least Singapore is untouchable when it comes to law and order, right? Well, not quite.
In the Law and Order Index by Gallup, Singapore was actually beaten by a rather unexpected country that not many may have even heard of.
According to the latest data published in 2025, Tajikistan ranks first globally with a score of 97 out of 100.
Source: Much Better Adventures
They edged out Singapore, which came in two points behind in second place.
The index measures perceptions of safety, based on questions such as whether people feel safe walking alone at night, trust the police, and have experienced theft or assault.
Source: Takashi Sakamoto on Unsplash
Evidently, an overwhelming majority of residents in Tajikistan reported feeling safe in their communities, along with maintaining a high confidence in local law enforcement.
It’s a surprising result — especially given Singapore’s global reputation for law and order.
But it also highlights an important distinction: while the Global Peace Index measures structural peace and stability, the Law and Order Index reflects how safe people feel in their daily lives.
Source: Singapore Police Force
And on both fronts, while Singapore isn’t quite number one, the degree of safety Singapore possesses should never be taken for granted, especially given the unpredictable nature of the world now.
Also read: S’pore ranked 2nd-safest country for travellers behind Iceland, has the ‘least violence’
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Featured image adapted from Zicasso and Coleen Rivas on Unsplash.