10 Best Places to Live for Escaping World Conflict
Where would you be the safest if World War 3 broke out tomorrow? Perhaps it’s a grim subject, but safety and distance from world conflict can be a motivating factor in your choice to expatriate. At the very least, conflict around the world can weigh heavy on the soul, and it’s nice to know there are some places still left in the world where you might be left in peace. Thus, we’ve assembled a list of the 10 best places to live if you want to escape world conflict.
10. Switzerland
Switzerland’s long history of neutrality and its tucked away location among the valleys of the Alps still make it a safe bet, even despite having a high number of bordering nations. It helps that neighboring Austria is also considered a neutral nation.
9. Costa Rica
Costa Rica has a stable democracy, a disbanded military and a national policy of neutrality. It also ranks highly on the Global Peace Index, Happy Planet Index, and Life Satisfaction Index. Although it sits in the middle of a tumultuous region, there are far worse places to sit in peace as the world goes down in flames all around.
8. Papua New Guinea
There are regions of Papua New Guinea that are still being discovered for the first time. The canopy covered, mountainous nation contains some of the most isolated places in the world. Tuck yourself away in a nook here and it may be one of the few places left where you can completely insulate yourself from the outside world.
7. Canada
Canada is the second largest nation in the world, yet it only shares a land border with one other country– the U.S.A.– and it is a peaceful border. That means there is a great expanse to escape to, if need be. Furthermore, Canada has few world enemies, ranks consistently high on the Global Peace Index, and is relatively homogeneous.
6. Seychelles
Aside from being safely isolated from the rest of the world in the middle of the Indian Ocean, this beautiful island nation is a great place to forget about your worries. Isolation is the key here. And conflict is as transparent as the water.
5. Finland
Finland has a long history of desiring to stay out of international conflicts, is recognized as neutral and always ranks in the top 10 of the Global Peace Index. It’s northerly location also typically means the remote areas of this country are a perfect place to disappear.
4. Tuvalu
Isolated in the middle of Micronesia, Tuvalu is among the safest and most remote places in the world. It is the third least populated country on Earth, and the forth smallest. There are only a few places more distant from the world’s strife than Tuvalu.
3. Iceland
Iceland, of course, has no borders, has remote locations, is stable as a country and has virtually no world enemies. Its people are happy and the nation always ranks highly on the Global Peace Index. If world conflict erupts, Iceland is one of the few stable nations in the world unlikely to get caught up in the middle.
2. Bhutan
Landlocked among the Himalaya mountains, Bhutan is one of the most isolated nations in the world. It also showcases one of the most stable balances in the world between moderization and retention of ancient culture. Its religious population believes in peaceful resolution to all conflict, and although it sits in a troubled region, it remains protected by its geography.
1. New Zealand
New Zealand might be the most isolated and expansive fully developed nation in the world. It shares no borders, sits relatively distant from any other nation, has no real national enemies, has a safe democracy and a diverse landscape with many remote places to hide away within. Furthermore, it ranked #1 on the Global Peace Index in 2009.
What about Australia? Far removed from the worlds trouble hot spots, small population on large land mass, beautiful temperate climate, stable democracy, blessed with abundant resources, highly developed first world country. Born and raised here, I absolutely love the place!
AFTER READING ALL YOUR COMMENTS AND EXPERIENCE ANY PERSON CAN WRITE stupid AND ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCE OF LIFE.
FOR ME IT ‘S VERY STUPID NOW BUY A PROPERTIES ARE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAT BEFORE.
PAY TAXES AND STUPID UNNECESSARY … EAT YOU ALIVE, is THE SYSTEM IN WHICH WE LIVE is, DOES NOT WORK (SEE NEWS).
BETTER LIVING IN RENTING NOT IN SOUTH AMERICA OR IN THE UNITED STATES (2 Hells IN THE WORLD) is useful to arrive LIVING IN A QUIET PLACE WITHOUT PROBLEMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS.
I HAVE 43 YEARS AND I HAVE TRAVELED A LOT.
TIP: THINK BEFORE AFTER WRITE OR SPEAK.
NOW THE WORLD ‘IN TOTAL CHAOS.
i just wanted to ask does anyone know where that picture was taken in Switzerland?
I live in Finland and it is amazing. Everything and everyone is calm, relaxed and quiet.We all take our time here so much that even the flies are slow ^^ Finland is FAR from flat, we have cliffs everywhere here unless you live in one of the farming areas or in the lower part of Helsinki. I absolutely love living here and would recommend anyone coming here to visit at least once.
Paul you egg. New Zealand rocks, and compared to a lot of other countries, were pretti peaceful.
Australia? Please, if anyone wants peace and a place to walk down the streets safely at night, stay away! Not in the top 10 at all!
Oh, and I’ll add Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Cyrpus, Iceland, Japan and Hong Kong ahead. Thanks for coming!
Just came across this, Papua New Guinea is definitely not a place for escaping conflict unless your idea of escaping conflict is to park yourself next to it?
PNG is controlled by an illegal military government, Western workers live in armed guarded compounds and if you want to go from the airport in Lay to your hotel you’ll travel in a bus akin to The Gauntlet and it’s definitely NOT a safe place to walk around if you’re not local – so you’ll be escaping nothing.
If the terrorist Iran didn’t exist, i would say UAE 🙂
Well, America has descended into fascism and is facing economic ruin thanx to our central bank, the UN, the militarization of our major city police forces and socialized, public screwls.
If I were to win the lottery, I guess it would be a tossup between Newfoundland, Austria/Switzerland and (if our politicians and military weren’t so hell-bent on wars and being puppets of Israel)..possibly Iran.
“So it is written…so it shall be done.”
Great list! When I saw the title, I was wondering where Costa Rica would end up on the list. Definitely a great list to remember, because I would love to get the heck out of this conflict zone.
The best place to live is neither new zealand nor canada… it’s where your darling lives… to be next to him/her.
The photo they used for Costa Rica is actually Pigeon Point beach in Tobago where I live, lol.
I would say that if you subtract the event of 22nd. July in 2011 in Norway, the country was ranked number 9 of peaceful places in the world, the same place is hold by Finland this year. And if you ask me, Norway is a rather more peaceful country to be in then Finland, as Finland is next door neighbour to Russia and the Baltic states. Norway’s neighbours is Sweden, Finland, and in the high north Russia. Also, Norway is not as dence populated as Finland.
@Zam.
We are glad you left as well. Please don’t ever come back. It is hatred like yours that can make anywhere in the world, the most horrible place to be.
Forget WWIII, where do I go to survive the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE??
That picture wasn’t from Finland..I live in helsinki and i love this city 🙂
I m 64 yrs. Today @ my hometown, MADURAI,India, I got fed up with the system, and thought to run away from this chaotic country. And I clicked this site. So far nice to see 10 places….But then realisation hit me whether it is possible to pack up just like that….At last it dawned on me…We can aspire to be…but dare not to be.
norway was ranked number 9 of peaceful places in the world, the same place is hold by Finland this year. And if you ask me, Norway is a rather more peaceful country to be in then Finland, as Finland is next door neighbour to Russia and the Baltic states. Norway’s neighbours is Sweden, Finland, and in the high north Russia. Also, Norway is not as dence populated as Finland.
i am living in new zealand for almost 4 years now, and trust me, there are some annoying people here. first 2 weeks we were here our car got stolen, just taken for a joyride. there are some really shallow minded people here who will take advantage of you as well.
I couldnt agree more! New Zealand is a beautiful place!
Ok those might be a safe place but a lot of. You guys may not know but pintada New Mexico is pertty you guys just don’t know it but its more of a country place so all you little sisi people don’t like country’s do NOT come but If you like country’s it’s a good pertty place come by and see it…
i like seychellesthe best because the water is super clear.
i forgot to put a space be tween seychelleys and the.
Iceland is part of NATO and a key target for anyone who wants to control the north Atlantic. Costa Ricas lack of military makes it an easy target for any hostile neighbours. Finland borders Russia, Canada is a member of NATO and often follows the US or Europe into war. If Europe was a battleground (again) I’d hate to be stuck bang in the middle in Switzerland. Papua New Guinea saw action in both world wars, was a major theatre in WW2 and, due to its massive diversity, has since had trouble with secessionist movements. Bhutan might be safe, although it lies between India and China, potential enemies in any conflict, and has a disputed border with China
The author is clearly unaware of Namibia. That is why it would also not come on anyone’s radar screen looking for conflict, let alone global conflict. Not surprisingly given its spare population density of 2.1 million inhabitants spread over a surface area that is 25% larger than Texas. The country has great weather with 300 days of sunshine per annum, wide open spaces, good infrastructure, pleasant people, incredible landscapes.
You Forgot Nepal! The world most beautiful place.. 🙂
I love traveling! I hope that one day I can visit this lake in Canada,….how beautiful!
I prefer New Zealand
Iceland is one of my next destinations.
Canada is also perfect.
There are no safe places to go when the end comes pray that we are written in the book of life
Namibia? Don’t know anything about it. African news that reaches our borders is limited to:
1. AIDS
2. Jihad
3. Ethnic Cleansing
4. Famine
5. Extinction
6. Ebola
The Ring of Fire is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean
Papua New Guinea: lol you will probably get killed, raped or eaten before any apocalyptic event.
Jamaica-n-me crazy mon– Try the Jamaican mountains for absolute peace and serenity– grapefruits for breakfast, mangos for lunch, Curry Coat for dinners, and all the Ganja you can smoke –all free too !!!
I am searching for peace in my life I’m 46 and disabled w/ perenthial neuropathy. And I seek a country that has similar meds to live a quality life. I hope someone that can understand will direct me to a country that will be the best for my needs. Thank you
isaias Looks like Lake Lugano,in, surprizingly.. Lugano!..Switzerland. I haven’t been there for 30+ years, and would hesitate to return. I found the Swiss to be a bit…mechanical. They were very charming and polite, but remote, and everything seemed to revolve around money. They always left chocolates on the pillows in the hotels though. Things may have changed. I was moving in some wealthy/jet-setter circles at the time so perhaps their attitudes were more of a product of the company I kept….
All the countries mentioned on the list are nice to visit, but in my opinion we live in a world full of “daisy chain” conflicts fueled by serious unsolved issues concerning the quality of life 7 billion inhabitants on the planet are unwilling or cannot share.
It is an illusion, to believe you can live far away from conflicts or corruption.
Yes,there s No perfect place n this world. But there is , Less dangerous , far from War Zone or Hotspot countries,
Choose Lesser-evil place to live in.
Unfortunately, another world war is inevitable, like death, but not yet. This follows from the biblical analysis. Let me remind here a fragment of an ancient vision: “And [the king of the north] will go back (to) his land with great wealth [1945. This detail indicated that Hitler will attack also the Soviet Union and will fight to the bitter end. In the beginning there were no signs of such the ending of this war]; and his heart (will be) against the holy covenant [hostility towards Christians]; and will act [it means activity in the international arena]; and turned back to his own land [1991-1993. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. Russian troops returned to their country]. At the appointed time [he] will return back.” (Daniel 11:28, 29a, literal translation) The return of Russia in this context means crisis, which will eclipse the Great Depression. Not only the eurozone will break up, but also the European Union and NATO. Then many countries of the former Eastern block will return to Russia’s zone of influence. Russian troops will be stationed here again.
“And [the king of the north] will enter into the south, but it will not be as the former [2008 – Georgia] or as the latter [and now Ukraine. Here also a success, and no military reaction from the West], for the dwellers of coastlands of Kittim [USA, in the beginning without Britain] will come against him, and he will be dejected, and will go back.” (Daniel 11:29b, 30a)
What will induce the “king of the north” to enter into the south? Jesus said: “For nation will rise against nation”, as in 2008, and then …
Moses writes: “But ships from the direction of Kittim [US Navy], and will afflict Asshur [Russia] and will afflict Eber [remaining enemies, including Iran and China].” (Numbers 24:24a) It will be suicidal mission. This armada will not return home. (Numbers 24:24b)
This will be a nuclear war. (Revelation 6:4) “A great sword” in this context means a nuclear sword. As Jesus foretold, it will be “the beginning of birth pains”. (Matthew 24:7, 8)
In 1882 British troops occupied Egypt. Great Britain then took the role of “the king of the south”. Around the same time, Russia expanded its influence in the region, which previously belonged to Seleucus I Nicator, and took the role of “the king of the north”. (Daniel 11:27)
All the details of this vision are being fulfilled from the time of ancient Persia, in chronological order. It is true that this vision is variously interpreted. As one can see, it has a lot of details. Therefore the insightful person is able to detect any error or sophistry. (Daniel 12:10)
NeedsSomewhereSafer, yours is an intelligent response. I live in Canada and we are sometimes attached at the hip to the USA. If the USA catches a cold, we get pneumonia as quoted by a former PM. But it is still pretty safe. I loved New Zealand and if you live on one of the nearby islands (Waiheke, Devonport) I would be happy as a clam. However, I would need $3,000 per month pension to live there and that’s why it would be best to move to Uruguay (safe enough and one can live cheaply).
This list is very unreal.
The nations of the Anglo-Saxon world and Western Europe would be military targets in a WWIII
what about Equador and Argentina? Agrentina seems so geograpically far from the rest of the word! I disagree with Canada, a lot of gang violence in BC, not the same Canada it used to be, I’ll say the same about Australia where there’s a lot of racial tension.
Iwish one day ican be in swiz