Peaceful countries make for safer travel destinations, and on what feels like an ever-more-unstable planet, it’s useful to know which destinations you can visit with confidence.
Enter the Global Peace Index, a massive annual survey that analyses 163 countries based on ongoing domestic and international conflict, militarisation, and safety and security, and scores each country’s peacefulness on a scale of one to five.
Once again, Iceland claimed the crown as the planet’s safest place by what the GPI described as ‘a significant margin’. However, seven of the top 10 spots were filled by states from all over Europe. This is one less European nation than in last year’s ranking, as Denmark has now moved into eleventh place, but still spells a positive result for Europe overall.
Where else on the continent made the cut? Well, Switzerland ranked as the second-safest country in Europe and third in the world (after New Zealand) and Slovenia came third, and fourth worldwide.
What else did we learn about Europe from the Global Peace Index?
The report highlights that Western and Central Europe remains the world’s most peaceful region, despite the same area being responsible for much of the increase in military expenditure over the past year.
Poland has seen the most significant improvement in its ranking, leaping from 45th place in 2025 to 22nd in 2026. France, interestingly, is the least peaceful country in the Western and Central Europe region, with its safety and security dropping by two percent this year. Why? Well, one in four people reported not feeling safe when walking home at night, and one in 10 has apparently been a victim of a violent crime.
These are the 7 safest European countries for 2026
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Ireland
- Austria
- Portugal
- Finland
There’s more insight in the full report from the Global Peace Index 2026.
🌎 Read ’s guides to the best places in the world for solo travel and where to travel alone as a woman.
Did you see that you could get paid to travel around Europe’s coolest cities and make friends?
Plus: The world’s greatest queer venues, chosen by editors and writers.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
