safetyUpdated 2026-07-19

Safest Countries to Retire Abroad: GPI-Ranked

Every country in the directory ranked by the Global Peace Index. Where retirees can feel secure.

Safest Countries to Retire Abroad: GPI-Ranked

Safety is the first filter for most retirees choosing a country. It is not the only factor (otherwise everyone would retire in Iceland), but a country that scores poorly on personal security, violent crime, or political stability is a hard no for most people considering a move abroad.

This guide ranks every country in the RetireSpots directory by its Global Peace Index (GPI) score and explains what the GPI measures, what it misses, and how to interpret safety in a retirement decision.

Every GPI score below is sourced from the Institute for Economics and Peace's 2025 Global Peace Index report. At RetireSpots, every number shows its source.

What the Global Peace Index measures

The GPI ranks 163 countries on 23 indicators across three domains:

1. Ongoing conflict: The number and intensity of internal and external conflicts the country is involved in. This tracks wars, civil conflicts, and organized violence.

2. Societal safety and security: Violent crime, homicide rate, incarceration rate, access to weapons, political terror, internally displaced people. This is the domain most relevant to a retiree's daily life.

3. Militarization: Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, armed services personnel, weapons imports and exports, nuclear and heavy weapons capability. This domain matters less for personal safety in a retirement context but affects broader stability.

The GPI is a scale from 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful). A lower score is better.

What the GPI does not measure:

Petty crime (pickpocketing, burglary) distinct from violent crime
Gender-specific safety (street harassment, domestic violence prevalence)
Tourist or expat-specific crime (targeting of foreigners for muggings, scams)
Road safety (traffic deaths are a safety concern for retirees, though less so than violence)
Natural disaster risk (earthquakes, typhoons, floods: see the climate guide)

The GPI is the best single-number safety metric available. It is not perfect. Use it as a starting point, not the end of the analysis.

Every directory country, GPI-ranked: safest to least safe

GPI rank	Country	GPI score (1-5)	Safety tier	Region
1	Iceland	1.112	Exceptional	Europe
2	Ireland	1.303	Exceptional	Europe
3	Austria	1.316	Exceptional	Europe
4	New Zealand	1.321	Exceptional	Oceania
5	Singapore	1.332	Exceptional	Asia
6	Portugal	1.361	Exceptional	Europe
7	Denmark	1.383	Exceptional	Europe
11	Switzerland	1.398	Exceptional	Europe
13	Canada	1.404	Exceptional	N. America
14	Czech Republic	1.430	Very High	Europe
15	Slovenia	1.430	Very High	Europe
17	Japan	1.437	Very High	Asia
19	Croatia	1.460	Very High	Europe
22	Australia	1.467	Very High	Oceania
23	Germany	1.468	Very High	Europe
24	Hungary	1.472	Very High	Europe
25	Malaysia	1.473	Very High	Asia
27	Netherlands	1.486	Very High	Europe
30	Spain	1.497	Very High	Europe
32	Poland	1.502	High	Europe
33	Italy	1.508	High	Europe
34	Latvia	1.517	High	Europe
36	UK	1.519	High	Europe
37	Lithuania	1.530	High	Europe
38	France	1.537	High	Europe
40	Greece	1.549	High	Europe
41	Vietnam	1.552	High	Asia
43	Uruguay	1.563	High	S. America
50	Chile	1.610	High	S. America
52	Costa Rica	1.620	High	C. America
57	Mongolia	1.646	High	Asia
60	Albania	1.660	High	Europe
62	Argentina	1.667	High	S. America
66	Thailand	1.690	High	Asia
70	Montenegro	1.722	Moderate	Europe
78	Panama	1.752	Moderate	C. America
80	Georgia	1.769	Moderate	Asia/Europe
87	Dominican Republic	1.801	Moderate	Caribbean
89	Ecuador	1.810	Moderate	S. America
94	Paraguay	1.832	Moderate	S. America
102	Philippines	1.882	Moderate	Asia
106	Peru	1.920	Moderate	S. America
109	Sri Lanka	1.934	Moderate	Asia
116	Nicaragua	1.978	Low-Moderate	C. America
117	Indonesia	1.985	Low-Moderate	Asia
120	Cambodia	2.003	Low-Moderate	Asia
128	Brazil	2.033	Low	S. America
130	Turkey	2.043	Low	Asia/Europe
135	India	2.077	Low	Asia
138	Colombia	2.089	Low	S. America
139	Mexico	2.092	Low	N. America
146	South Africa	2.192	Low	Africa
147	Egypt	2.200	Low	Africa

GPI scores sourced from the Institute for Economics and Peace, Global Peace Index 2025. The list includes only countries currently in the RetireSpots directory. Not all GPI-ranked countries are retirement destinations, and not all retirement destinations appear in the GPI (microstates, dependencies).

The safety tiers

### Exceptional (GPI < 1.400)

These are countries with low violent crime, stable institutions, minimal conflict risk, and strong rule of law. A retiree in Portugal, Ireland, or Singapore can walk at night in most areas and not worry about violent crime. The primary safety concern in these countries is petty theft (pickpocketing in tourist areas) and, in some (New Zealand, Japan), natural disaster risk.

Portugal is the standout among retirement-visa-issuing countries in this tier: the only Western European country with a dedicated passive-income visa (D7), an exceptional GPI score, and a path to EU citizenship after 5 years. See the visa guide and citizenship timelines.

Singapore and Malaysia are the highest-ranked retirement destinations in Asia on the GPI. Malaysia's GPI score of 1.473 (rank 25) puts it ahead of Spain, Italy, and France. The combination of MM2H retirement visa access, high safety, and territorial tax treatment makes Malaysia one of the highest-scoring destinations on the RetireScore.

### Very High (GPI 1.400-1.500)

Japan, Croatia, Malaysia, Spain, and the Netherlands sit in this band. These are countries with low violent crime, strong police and judicial institutions, and political stability. The safety experience in Spain or Croatia is comparable to the "exceptional" countries above. The GPI difference is often driven by militarization indicators (Spain's military expenditure pushes it slightly higher) rather than personal safety indicators.

### High (GPI 1.500-1.700)

Poland, Italy, the UK, France, Greece, Vietnam, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Thailand, Albania, and Argentina are in this band. For retirees, this tier is where the aggregate GPI score starts to need disaggregation: the reason a country scores here matters more than the score itself.

Thailand (1.690): The societal safety indicators are moderate. Violent crime against foreigners is rare. The score is driven in part by ongoing conflict indicators (southern insurgency), which do not affect most retirement areas (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hua Hin).
Vietnam (1.552): High score for a one-party state with low violent crime. Petty theft and scams targeting tourists are the main safety concerns for foreigners. The GPI's low conflict indicator helps Vietnam's score.
Costa Rica (1.620): The highest-ranked Central American country on the GPI. Low homicide rate compared to its neighbours, no military (which reduces the militarization score), democratic stability. The main safety concern is petty theft and opportunistic crime in tourist areas and cities.

### Moderate (GPI 1.700-2.000)

Panama, Georgia, Ecuador, the Philippines, Peru, and Sri Lanka sit here. At this level, the safety experience varies significantly within each country.

Panama (1.752): The GPI score reflects the national average, which includes higher crime areas in Panama City and Colon. Expat retirement zones (Boquete, Coronado, El Valle) have significantly lower crime rates than the national average.
Ecuador (1.810): Cuenca and Vilcabamba have lower crime rates than Guayaquil. The GPI reflects the country-wide picture, but retirement destinations within the country are self-selected for safety.
Philippines (1.882): The GPI is pulled down by conflict in Mindanao, which is outside most retirement areas (Cebu, Dumaguete, Baguio, Manila). Petty crime and scams are the practical safety concern for foreign retirees.

### Low-Moderate (GPI 2.000-2.100)

Nicaragua, Indonesia, Cambodia, Brazil, Turkey, India, and Colombia fall here. The safety picture becomes sharply uneven.

Colombia (2.089): The national GPI score reflects decades of internal conflict that is ongoing in some regions. But the retirement cities (Medellin, Bogota's north, the Coffee Triangle) have improved dramatically in the last 15 years. Medellin in 2026 is not the Medellin of the 1990s. The score also reflects the homicide rate, which is higher than in most retirement destinations but concentrated in areas and demographics not relevant to most foreign retirees.
Mexico (2.092): Similar to Colombia: the national GPI score reflects drug cartel violence concentrated in specific states. Retirement destinations (San Miguel de Allende, Merida, Puerto Vallarta's expat zones, Ajijic/Lake Chapala) have lower crime rates. Merida, Yucatan, is routinely cited as one of the safest cities in Latin America.

The gap between national GPI scores and the actual safety experience in retirement-specific areas is the subject of the next guide: Safety in Latin America: Beyond the Headlines.

### Low (GPI > 2.100)

South Africa and Egypt are the lowest-ranked countries in the directory. Both have significant safety concerns that require gated communities, private security, and lifestyle restrictions. These are countries where a retiree can live safely, but the safety is managed, not ambient. You do not "feel safe" because the society is safe; you are safe because you have taken specific measures. The RetireScore reflects this: both countries receive low safety scores, offset by other strengths (cost, natural beauty, expat infrastructure).

What the GPI cannot tell you

Within-country variation. Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and Mexico's Guerrero state are in the same country, the same GPI score, and different safety realities. The same applies in Colombia (Medellin vs. Choco), Brazil (Florianopolis vs. Rio's favela zones), and the Philippines (BGC in Manila vs. parts of Mindanao). The GPI is a national score. Your actual safety depends on where within the country you choose to live.

Expat-specific safety. The GPI does not separately measure crimes targeting foreigners. In some countries, foreigners are more likely to be targeted for petty crime (pickpocketing, scams) but less likely to be victims of violent crime. In others, expat enclaves are safer than the surrounding areas because of private security, gating, and higher police presence. The GPI measures the average citizen's safety, not the expat retiree's safety.

Perception vs. reality. Safety perception is heavily shaped by media coverage, which overweights shocking violent events and underweights statistical base rates. A single high-profile murder of a foreign retiree in Costa Rica generates more fear than years of statistical data showing Costa Rica as safer than most US cities. Part of choosing a retirement destination is making decisions based on data, not anecdotes. This is the honesty brand at RetireSpots: every number shows its source, and we present the data even when it contradicts popular narratives.