Portugal, the 6th safest country in the world (GPI 2022)

The Global Peace Index, now in its 16th edition, is the result of a comprehensive analysis of trends in peace, its economic value and how to develop peaceful societies.

This index is based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators aggregated across three domains: the level of social security and protection, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarization.

The 2022 GPI finds that the level of global peace has deteriorated, with the average country score falling by around 0.3%.

Although slight, this is the 11th deterioration in the peace environment in the last 14 years recorded by this ranking, with 90 countries improving their position, 71 worsening and 2 remaining stable, with a negative note that the magnitude of the deterioration is stronger than that of improvement.

Portugal the 5th safest country in Europe

Portugal remains one of the most peaceful countries in the world, although there has been some loss of position in the last 3 years, having fallen from 3rd position in 2020 to 4th position in 2021 and 6th position in 2022.

Although this drop in position is pointed out by those responsible for the ranking as due to the "increase in political instability" and "a higher rate of arrests", it is not so much the result of the deterioration of the peace and security environment that is experienced in Portugal, but the merit of some countries, such as Ireland, Iceland and Austria, which have been improving their position.The increase in mass tourism in recent years, especially in large cities, has also had some impact on the growth of petty crime.

However, it is good to remember that just 9 years ago, the security climate in Portugal was considered to be much worse. In 2014 the country occupied the 18th place in the GPI ranking, that is, in just 7 years the rise registered in this ranking was quite impressive.

Much of this improvement was due to the strong focus on policing and surveillance of cities on the outskirts of Lisbon and Porto, with many of them installing their own surveillance networks in public spaces, with the help of cameras. For example, based on the comparison of data between 2017 and 2020, concerning the 18 municipalities that make up the AML - Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Amadora went from 4th place to 9th place, as the municipality with the highest incidence of crimes, having been a 25% decrease in registered crime was observed.

The reduction in unemployment rates recorded in the last decade in Portugal, where the situation is currently very favorable, close to the practical limit of full employment, also contributed to improving the climate of security, with the quality and good performance of the forces being praised. of Portuguese security, with emphasis on the Judiciary Police in the fight against organized crime.

If you want to know about the crime rate in Portugal and its cities, you can consult this site: https://pt.numbeo.com/criminalidade/Portugal

Impact of security on the Portuguese economy, particularly in the real estate sector

Portugal has seen in the last 7 years an extraordinary increase in foreign tourist flow. One of the reasons that most contributed to this growth was the positive image that has been consolidated in recent years, through the press and social networks, that " Portugal is a safe country for tourists ".

The positive impact of this growth was felt at various levels, but it had one of its greatest exponents in the real estate sector. More houses were sold to foreign buyers than ever before: new or used, apartments or townhouses, in cities or in small towns in the countryside. According to the study "Market 360º", of the 190 thousand homes traded in 2021, 11% were related to foreign buyers and 89% were sold to domestic buyers.

One of the nationalities that grew the most in this ranking was Brazilian. You can see why when comparing Portugal's 6th position in the 2022 GPI with Brazil's, which occupies the 136th position, among 163 countries.

The 10 most peaceful countries in 2022

In a universe of 163 countries and in 2022, the following ten are among the safest:

1. Iceland - Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the Europe region and in the world in the 2022 GPI, with an improvement of 3.4%.Both violent demonstrations and perceptions of crime indicators improved. Iceland saw a 55% decrease in its score for violent demonstrations after recording its highest score in 2021, while the perception of crime is now the 10th most favorable worldwide.
2. New Zealand - New Zealand retains the position of the most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region and the second most peaceful country overall in the 2022 GPI. New Zealand has seen a slight improvement in the score in the 2022 GPI as a result. of a decrease in the rate of incarceration, military spending and the impact of terrorism. Improvements were recorded in all domains, except for the "Continuous Conflict" category, which remained stable between 2021 and 2022.
3. Ireland - Ireland is ranked as the 3rd most peaceful country in the world and the 2nd most peaceful in Europe (2022 GPI).The feeling of security improved by 0.019%, with major improvements being observed in the "Security and Protection" and "Militaryization" domains.
4. Denmark - Denmark, one of the most educated and developed countries in Europe, has seen improvements in the field of "safety and security". However, it dropped one position from the previous year and ranked 4th among the 163 countries referenced in the 2022 GPI.
5. Austria - Austria's overall peace index improved by 0.018%, making it the 5th most peaceful country in the world. The "Security and Security" domain improved by 0.086%.
6. Portugal - Our country ranks 6th in the Global Peace Index 2022 ranking and 5th among European countries.
7. Slovenia - Despite the prominent position, Slovenia saw its overall GPI score deteriorate by 0.021% out of 222. The country is down 2 spots from 2021.
8. Czech Republic - Some countries go up, others go down, the Czech Republic won the 8th position in the 2022 Global Peace Index with improvements in the "Military" and "Security and security" domains.
9. Singapore - The country rose one notch from the 2021 GPI ranking and is now considered the 9th most peaceful country. It thus maintains its position as the most peaceful nation in the Asia-Pacific region for the 3rd year in a row. Singapore has improved significantly in the field of militarization, with major improvements, particularly in nuclear and heavy weapons, as well as arms exports between 2021 and 2022.
10. Japan - In 2022, Japan regained its position in the top 10 of the most peaceful countries. The country has improved significantly in the field of militarization with major improvements particularly in "nuclear and heavy weapons".