Want to Visit the Most Peaceful Destinations? Pick These Locations

Image: Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland’s Hyita River (Photo Credit: Theresa Norton)
Image: Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland’s Hyita River (Photo Credit: Theresa Norton)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Tue December 5, 2023

Conflict has torn the world asunder as of late. Russia and Ukraine are nine months into their war, and Israel and Hamas are fighting. Borders have been closed, and air travel has been rerouted.

But there are still some places you can go and find peace.

For the last 17 years, the Institute for Economics and Peace has put out a Global Peace Index, with the most peaceful place on Earth being Iceland. Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and Austria round out the Top 5.

Singapore, Portugal, Slovenia, Japan and Switzerland comprised the rest of the Top 10.

To be put on the list, countries must attain specific criteria, including acceptance of the rights of others, equitable distribution of resources, good relations with neighbors and free flow of information, to name a few. 

The best part is that all countries at the top of this year's list share those traits and more.

As for other popular vacation destinations, Canada ranked 11th, the United Kingdom finished 37th, the United States only reached 131st, and Mexico dropped to 136th out of 163 nations.

The five lowest-ranking countries are Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Although global levels of peacefulness have deteriorated for the 13th time over the last 15 years, the top destinations on the list are still worth the adventure. So go and find peace through travel.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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