Saudi Arabia has made notable strides in Numbeo's recently-published Safety Index, climbing from 26th place in 2024 to 14th in 2025. This remarkable improvement places Saudi Arabia among the top 15 safest countries in the world, surpassing notable nations such as Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, and China.
Saudi Arabia’s jump in the rankings saw it overtake several European nations known for their high safety standards, including Switzerland (17th in 2024 to 23rd in 2025), Finland (23rd to 24th), and the Netherlands (21st to 26th).
Overall, as a region, the Middle East reported varying performances in the safety index. The UAE (2nd place) and Qatar (3rd place) continue to earn their status as some of the safest countries worldwide. Oman (5th) also remains a regional leader in safety. Bahrain, though still ranked highly, dropped slightly from 13th to 16th.
Kuwait and Israel, both in the top 40, have also maintained relatively strong positions, though not recording a major upward shift like Saudi Arabia.
Numeo also recently released its Quality of Life index of 62 Asian cities, where the Middle East earned all top three slots. Explore full coverage of those rankings here.
Saudi improves safety record, surpassing China in new rankings
