Can a “Safe Country” Be Defined by a Single Number?
When comparing public safety internationally, the first figure that usually comes up is the homicide rate. It shows how many cases occur per 100,000 people, and values are available for 196 countries and regions. The latest global figure is 5.2 cases. Japan’s figure is 0.23 cases, ranking 6th from lowest.
At the top are the Channel Islands (0.00 cases), Qatar (0.07 cases), and Singapore (0.07 cases). At the other end are the Turks and Caicos Islands (76.34 cases), Saint Kitts and Nevis (64.16 cases), and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (51.32 cases), a difference of more than 300 times between the highest and lowest.
Looking at this single indicator alone, Japan is one of the countries with the fewest homicides in the world. However, measuring “safety” solely by homicide leaves out a great deal.
Traffic Fatalities Also Rank Among the World’s Lowest
Japan’s mortality rate from traffic accidents (per 100,000 people) is 3.6 people, ranking 14th out of 190 countries and regions. This is about one-fifth of the global figure of 16.75 people. At the lower end are the Dominican Republic (64.6 people), Zimbabwe (41.2 people), and Venezuela (39.0 people).
As long as we look at the two forms of “death from outside”—homicide and traffic accidents—Japan consistently ranks among the world’s top countries.
Yet the Suicide Mortality Rate Ranks 169th out of 185 Countries
Even with the same “mortality rate per 100,000 people,” the ranking reverses when it comes to suicide. Japan’s figure is 17.43 people, ranking 169th out of 185 countries and regions from lowest. That is nearly twice the global figure of 9.13 people.
At the lower end are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (0.41 people), Syria (0.59 people), and Jordan (0.60 people). At the higher end are Lesotho (28.66 people), South Korea (27.53 people), and Eswatini (27.23 people), placing Japan at a level close to this upper group.
Compared with 0.23 homicide deaths, there are 17.43 suicide deaths. In Japan, more than 75 times as many people die by taking their own lives as die through violence. The phrase “safe country” refers only to the former.
Suicide statistics are also a field in which international comparison is difficult because of differences in criteria for determining causes of death and reporting systems. Among countries ranked on the lower end, some figures may include deaths that have not been captured statistically. Even taking this into account, Japan’s position—at nearly twice the global level—does not change.
Military Spending Ranks 67th out of 164 Countries
Military spending (as a percentage of GDP) is one way to examine how a country spends money related to national security. Japan’s figure is 1.37%, ranking 67th out of 164 countries and regions from lowest. This is below the global figure of 2.47%.
At the lower end are Haiti (0.07%), Mauritius (0.15%), and Laos (0.19%). At the higher end are Ukraine (34.48%), Eritrea (20.87%), and Israel (8.78%), with countries facing conflicts prominent among them.
Corruption Control Ranks 24th out of 206 Countries
In control of corruption—one indicator of the quality of governance, where a higher score means greater control—Japan scores 75.32 points, ranking 24th out of 206 countries and regions. At the top are Denmark (94.16 points), Finland (92.23 points), and Luxembourg (88.66 points). At the bottom are South Sudan (6.06 points), Somalia (11.70 points), and Syria (13.41 points).
There is a gap of nearly 20 points with the Nordic countries that occupy the top ranks. Japan ranks 6th in the world for having few homicides, but 24th for transparency in governance.
When Five Indicators Are Set Side by Side, the Shape of “Safety” Changes
| Indicator | Japan’s figure | Rank (total) |
| Homicide rate | 0.23 cases/100,000 people | 6th (196) |
| Traffic accident mortality rate | 3.6 people/100,000 people | 14th (190) |
| Control of corruption | 75.32 points | 24th (206) |
| Military spending (as a percentage of GDP) | 1.37% | 67th (164) |
| Suicide mortality rate | 17.43 people/100,000 people | 169th (185) |
Japan ranks among the world’s best in terms of harm inflicted by others, near the top in the quality of governance, and near the bottom in the number of people who take their own lives. Whether a country is “safe” depends on which forms of death are counted.
When reading international comparisons of public safety, it is better to look at how much rankings shift between indicators than at the rankings themselves. In Japan’s case, the range extends from 6th to 169th, a span of 163 ranking places.
Sources
- Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) (World Bank World Development Indicators VC.IHR.PSRC.P5)
- Mortality caused by road traffic injury (per 100,000 population) (same source, SH.STA.TRAF.P5)
- Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) (same source, SH.STA.SUIC.P5)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) (same source, MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS)
- Control of Corruption: Percentile Rank (same source, CC.PER.RNK)
Figures are based on the latest year available for each indicator. Homicide rate: 2023, traffic accident mortality rate: 2019, suicide mortality rate: 2021, military spending: 2024, control of corruption: 2024.
----- ARTICLE ENDS -----