Safest Countries for American Expats (2025)

Safety is the non-negotiable. Before budget, language, or climate — you need to know you'll be safe. Here are the top 10 safest countries for American expats, scored on crime rates, political stability, healthcare access, and personal security.

🇺🇸 A Useful Benchmark

The US scores 7.2/10 on safety in our dataset — above average globally, but well below the 9+ scores of Scandinavia, Japan, or New Zealand. The US also has a mass shooting rate 25x higher than other high-income nations. Many Americans are surprised to learn they feel significantly safer abroad.

Top 10 Safest Countries for Americans

#	Country	Safety Score	Political Stability	Healthcare
1	🇳🇴Norway Nature, prosperity, and world-class living	9.5/10	9.8/10	9.2/10
2	🇩🇰Denmark The happiest people on Earth	9.4/10	9.7/10	9.0/10
3	🇯🇵Japan Ancient traditions meet futuristic innovation	9.8/10	9.0/10	9.3/10
4	🇳🇿New Zealand Breathtaking scenery and indigenous heritage	9.2/10	9.5/10	8.8/10
5	🇨🇦Canada Multicultural mosaic of stunning wilderness and opportunity	9.2/10	9.5/10	8.8/10
6	🇦🇪United Arab Emirates Ultra-modern Gulf hub of luxury and zero income tax	9.5/10	9.0/10	8.8/10
7	🇳🇱Netherlands Windmills, waterways, and open-minded living	8.8/10	9.5/10	8.8/10
8	🇦🇺Australia Open skies, diverse wildlife, and endless opportunity	8.8/10	9.2/10	9.0/10
9	🇸🇪Sweden Sustainability, equality, and Scandinavian style	8.5/10	9.5/10	9.2/10
10	🇮🇪Ireland Friendly people, emerald landscapes, and a thriving tech hub	9.0/10	9.0/10	8.0/10

Composite score: safety 45%, political stability 30%, healthcare 15%, quality of life 10%.

Country Spotlights

🇯🇵 Japan — The Safest Country on Earth

Japan's homicide rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people — compared to 6.3 in the US. Violent crime is extraordinarily rare. It's common in Japan to leave belongings unattended in cafes, forget wallets in taxis and have them returned, and walk alone at 3am in Tokyo without incident. The trade-offs are a difficult language barrier, rigid immigration policies, and a high cost of living in major cities. But for pure safety? No country on Earth comes close.

✅ World's lowest crime rates ✅ Excellent healthcare ⚠️ Language barrier ⚠️ Difficult immigration

🇩🇰 Denmark — Safe, Stable, and Genuinely Happy

Denmark consistently ranks among the world's happiest and most peaceful countries. Violent crime is very low, police are trusted and professional, and the social safety net means desperation-driven crime is much less prevalent. The country is politically stable, with no recent history of coups, civil unrest, or political violence. The biggest downsides are the high cost of living and cold climate — but on safety and stability, Denmark is near-perfect.

✅ World's happiest country ✅ Strong rule of law ⚠️ Very expensive

🇨🇷 Costa Rica — The Safest Country in Latin America

Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948 and has maintained that commitment ever since. It has the most stable democracy in Central America, and while it's not crime-free, it is dramatically safer than its neighbors. The Pensionado and Rentista retirement visas are among the most accessible in the world. In the Central Valley and Guanacaste, American expats live comfortably with low crime risk, world-class biodiversity, and excellent private healthcare.

✅ No military since 1948 ✅ Stable democracy ✅ Great nature + climate

Find Your Safest Country

Safety matters, but so does everything else. Take our quiz and get all 81 countries ranked by your personal priorities.

Take the Free Quiz 🛫