What makes a nation dangerous? Is it war, crime, corrupt police, or perhaps an untrustworthy government? The question is impossible to answer completely because the reasons are so subjective. It may be safe to be a police officer. It may be dangerous to be policed.

For Gallup’s “2021 Global Law and Order” report, researchers interviewed approximately 150,000 people in 115 countries. Gallup did fieldwork through October of this year. The findings suggest that Venezuela is the world’s most dangerous country. (And this is the world’s most dangerous city.)

The Gallup analysis is divided into four parts: Confidence people have in their police force; whether people feel safe walking at night; whether people have had money or property stolen from them or a household member; whether people been assaulted in the past 12 months

Generally, Scandinavian countries do well on the quality of life measures. In the case of the Gallup poll, it should come as no surprise that these countries scored well, at the top of the index. They tend to be low-crime nations. (These are America’s safest metros.)

Norway leads the Gallup list with a score of 94. Finland has a score of 92, as does Iceland. Nearby Netherlands has a score of 89.

The far end of the list is dominated by developing countries and those with histories of national unrest and violence. Venezuela has a score of 53, which puts it at the bottom of the list. The South American nation has been in economic and political turmoil for a decade. 

According to the CIA World Factbook, “Current concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, high inflation, and widespread shortages of basic consumer goods, medicine, and medical supplies.”

President Nicolás Maduro was voted into office in April 2013. Among his policies was to put a cap on food prices. This policy drove a number of producers out of the market, creating shortages. 

Venezuela has among the largest proven oil reserves in the world. Yet a lack of investment in drilling and infrastructure has severely undermined exports, and with it, the country’s gross domestic product. Hundreds of thousands of residents have left, mostly to other South American countries.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the Gallup survey.

These are the 10 most dangerous countries in the world and their Gallup index scores

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