Qatar ranked safest country in Middle East

Qatar is the safest place in the Middle East, relegating other Gulf Co-operation Council countries by a wide margin, in the Global Finance Index of safest countries.

Qatar also ranked seventh in the world and it is the only country outside Europe to come in the top 20 safest countries in the world, said Global Finance magazine, whose safety index factors in risks of natural disaster with crime, terrorism and war to present a more rounded analysis of the world's safest countries.The countries at the top offer little surprise; they are mostly European countries with developed economies and healthcare systems, it said, adding "in fact, 16 of the top 20 safest countries are located in Europe while only Qatar, Singapore, New Zealand, and Canada rank in the top 20 without being in Europe."Qatar, with a safety index score of 7.28, was also ranked above Singapore, Denmark, New Zealand and Canada, which ranked 8, 9, 10 and 11 with scores of 7.34, 7.41, 7.42 and 7.42, respectively.The other countries that ranked above Qatar are Iceland (ranked first and 6.16 score), Switzerland (second, 7.01), Finland (third, 7.04), Portugal (fourth, 7.07), Austria (fifth, 7.08) and Norway (sixth, 7.27). The safety score for countries equally weighs each of the three factors: war and peace, personal security, and natural disaster risk.The safety score aggregates the indices from these three risks, thus presenting a comprehensive view of safety for each country, implying that a high level of risk in one factor will have limited effect on the country’s overall ranking.In the previous month, an annual report from 'Numbeo', the world's largest database of user contributed data on cities and countries, had said Qatar has retained its global distinction as the safest country among Arab countries as well as globally after being ranked first in terms of safety and security among 118 countries.In November last year, HE the Director General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi had said Qatar holds a high ranking on the list of safest countries in the world and its successful development is a reflection to the stability, safety and peace in the state, despite all challenges and crises in the region.