Economic stability is a major condition of physical security – and many prosperous countries are indeed among the safest globally – but being a democracy does not automatically project a higher degree of personal safety, a recently released law and order index shows.

Despite the fact that conflicts have reached their highest levels since the World War II (currently at 56), the public’s sense of safety has improved over the past decade, according to the Global Safety Report 2024 by Gallup. The rise in safety perceptions is largely due to greater trust in law enforcements and community policing programs, which remain key factors in how secure people feel regardless of a country’s economic standing, a Gallup statement says.

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The organization’s Law and Order Index credits Kuwait, an autocratic Middle East country, with the highest score of perceived safety – 98 out of 100. There, 99% of residents said they felt safe and had low experiences with assault (4%) and theft (1%).

Singapore, a democracy, comes second with 95 while Tajikistan, a Central Asian nation under autocratic rule, filled in the third spot with 95.

The other seven occupants of the top 10 countries with highest public security confidence are European: Norway (93), Estonia (91), Finland (91), Iceland (91), Kosovo (91), Luxembourg (91), Switzerland (91).

Down the stairs, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam scored 90 points.

Surprisingly, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, scored less - 86, and Israel – at war with Hezbollah and Hamas – scored 84 points.

Feelings of safety walking alone at night in Israel fell from 88% before the 7 October 2023, attacks to 68% after.

By contrast, higher scores were registered in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan – all autocracies, 89 points, same as in El Salvador, Portugal, and Slovenia – all democracies.

China was on the 21st spot with 88 points.

The United Kingdom scored 83 points and the United States obtained 81 points – similarly to Russia’s. Ukrainians, on their third year at war with Russia, showed lower a confidence in their law enforcement and security agencies.

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The bottom ten index is dominated by African countries; the worst performers are Ecuador (55) from Latin America and Liberia (50). Liberia posted the lowest score on the index for the second straight year, mostly attributable to the high percentage of residents who have been victims of crime and their low sense of security.

The Law and Order Index is based on a survey of 146,000 people in 140 countries. Respondents were asked about their perceptions on three key areas: 1) Feelings of personal safety; 2) Confidence in police; and 3) Experience of assault and theft.

Feelings of safety are highest in Asia-Pacific (75%), Western Europe (75%), the Middle East and North Africa (74%), Northern America (72%), and post-Soviet Eurasia (71%). Post-Soviet Eurasia has seen the most significant improvement, with a 34-percentage point increase since its low of 37% in 2006.

On a global level, people felt safer in 2023 than they did a decade ago. The 70% of adults who said they felt safe walking alone at night last year is considerably higher than the 64% who reported this in 2013. Generally, people in nations with high state control feel safer, the report says.

People continue to feel the least safe in sub-Saharan Africa (51%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (47%). Further, feelings of safety have declined more in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region over the past two decades. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the percentage who said they felt safe has never topped 50% at any point.

One notable exception is El Salvador. Once known as the murder capital of the world, it made to the “most safe” list for the first time in 2023, with a record-high 88% of residents saying they felt safe.

As for confidence in the law enforcement system, the Finns have one of the highest public trust in police, at 87% of the population.

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Global perceptions of safety and confidence in police have risen compared with a decade ago, largely due to increasing confidence in local law enforcement.

Gallup’s analysis suggests that local-level strategies and community-based approaches are more effective in enhancing perceptions of safety than national-level interventions. Regardless of a country’s wealth, confidence in local police is one of the strongest predictors of people feeling safe.

The Gallup World Poll is the most comprehensive and farthest-reaching survey of the world. Gallup, Inc. is an American multinational analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1935, it is known for public opinion polls conducted worldwide.

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