180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: Highly RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Highly Recommended
Sweden gave away the seatbelt patent to save lives, and that tells you the temperament: sensible, generous, quietly excellent. Stockholm scatters across an archipelago of 30,000 islands, Lapland does ice hotels and aurora, and midsummer is the whole country crowned in flowers. Elite freedom and LGBT+ rights. Gang violence makes the headlines but stays far from visitor life.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Sweden: 0.9
Ranked 32nd in the world for the lowest homicide rate.
0.87 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 — killings here are genuinely rare.
Lower than 81% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Sweden: 1.7
Ranked 49th most peaceful country in the world.
More peaceful than 79% of the 163 countries ranked, scoring 1.709.
Down 2 places since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Sweden: 8.7
Ranked 13th freest country in the world.
Freer than 93% of the 165 countries measured — 8.74 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 9.58; doing business and owning property, 7.56.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Sweden: 7.5
Ranked 18th most equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Better for LGBT+ equality than 91% of the 197 countries scored — 75 out of 100.
The law runs ahead of public opinion here — legal protections score 85 out of 100, everyday attitudes 65.