This is a question that I frequently hear from many westerners when they first start considering living abroad. Many people have these horrible ideas of what might happen if they move abroad, but generally these ideas are wildly exaggerated. Global news has brought global problems to everyone’s doorstep and many assume that every place must be as bad or worse as where they are now.
It really all depends on where you choose to go. Just like in many cities in the USA, there are areas that should probably be avoided if you can. There are plenty of others that you can enjoy spending time in.
Just consider the number of mass shootings in the USA. There were already 314 mass shootings just in 2022 as of July 5th! The year is only half over. More than 22,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence so far. This is an issue that is largely limited to the United States and a few other areas, but this is very far from the average around the world.
If you are from the United States, you might actually be surprised (Or maybe not) to learn that you are already in one of the most dangerous countries on earth. The United States ranked 129 out of 160 according to the 2022 Global Peace Index. The only countries which score lower are (In order from safest to least):
Brazil, Burundi, Eritrea, Palestine, Isreal, India, Chad, Mexico, Lebannon, Myanmar, Niger, Iran, Cameroon, Nigeria, Colombia, Turkey, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Venezuela, Mali, Libya, North Korea, Ukraine, Sudan, Central African Republic, Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Russia, Syria, Yemem, Afghanistan
That means as someone from the United States, you can literally go to ANY country on earth not on the above list and end up in a more peaceful country.
It’s also interesting to look at the change in rankings from this report. North America has continued its deterioration while South America is showing signs of improvement. South Asia shows the largest improvement of all regions for the year, with the Russia/Eurasia region showing the largest decline. It’s also interesting to note a significant increase in improvement in the Middle East and North African region.
Most all of the countries I talk about on this blog you will find are much higher up this list and thus safer.
Consider in South America, Ecuador, which ranks over 50 countries safer than the United States. You could enjoy a much lower cost of living and live in a safer country! Another interesting example is Paraguay which ranks another two spots higher than Ecuador. Another small, often overlooked country that is both safe and affordable.
Over in Asia, there is also Indonesia, a favorite among digital nomads. Indonesia ranks 82 places higher than the USA. Malaysia is actually #18 on safest, with nearby Singapore in the top ten.
If you’re curious about the top ten:
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Austria
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Singapore
- Japan