World’s ‘safest countries’ revealed if WW3 breaks out | World | News

Fears of a potential Third World War have risen as tensions rise following a series of air strikes in the Middle East. US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on Saturday morning in what the two countries described as a “preemptive” strike against the government of Tehran, which intends to develop nuclear weapons.

President Donald Trump said “major combat operations” against Iran were continuing and signaled he was trying to achieve regime change by calling on the Iranian people to “take over your government.” An Israeli military official claimed that “several senior figures” from the Iranian regime had been “eliminated”, but this has not yet been confirmed. The attack prompted retaliation from Iran, whose missiles reportedly targeted Israel and countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The UK did not take part in attacks on Iran and the Government advised British citizens in parts of the Middle East to “shelter in place”.

In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that British aircraft in the region were “in the skies” as part of “co-ordinated regional defense operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies” and also condemned Iran’s retaliatory action “in the strongest terms”.

It comes days after the fourth anniversary of the all-out war in Ukraine, as tensions continue to rise around the world.

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So, if the unthinkable happens, which countries are the safest to escape to?

The Express took a look at the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI) to see which nations are seen as the most peaceful and therefore perhaps a safe haven in a large-scale war.

The index covers 99.7% of the world’s population and is calculated “using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources.”

It measures the state of peace in three areas; the level of social safety and security, the extent of ongoing internal and international conflicts, and the degree of militarization.

Iceland ranked first in the final rankings.

The country has never been involved in a full-scale war or occupation and is geographically remote; This is a potential advantage in conflicts.

Iceland has no army but is a member of NATO, meaning it falls under the alliance’s Article 5 collective defense clause; An attack on one is an attack on everyone.

This could in theory potentially undermine Iceland’s safe haven status, but due to its lack of a military footprint the country is unlikely to be a main target in a possible war.

NATO consists of 32 countries, and any of them could trigger an Article 5 agreement.

Ireland ranked second in the GPI rankings.

The country maintains a policy of military neutrality but has a small defense force.

The third was New Zealand, one of the world’s most remote countries in the southwestern Pacific.

New Zealand has a military and is generally considered very safe.

Its physical isolation from the rest of the world means that it would probably be a safer haven in the event of World War Three, and the war would likely be concentrated elsewhere.

Other countries in the top 10 in the 2025 GPI rankings include Austria, Singapore, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland, known for its neutral stance.

Described as “the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness,” the GPI index is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace think tank.

The latest report shows “a continuing decline in global peacefulness, with many key indicators ahead of major conflicts being higher than at any time since the Second World War,” the report said.

The report stated that global peace is at its lowest level since 2007, when the index was first published.