Eduardo Cabrita, who was last month appointed to the position after his predecessor resigned in the wake of deadly wildfires, said Portugal’s status as one of the safest countries in the world has been a major driving force in attracting tourists, investors and new residents.
The minister added that Portugal wants to maintain its enviable safety rating and that this would be a priority for the
government.
Minister Cabrita’s comments follow the publication of the
Global Peace Index ranking at the start of autumn, which rated Portugal the third safest country in the world, climbing up from its position of fifth in 2016.
The Global Peace Index ranks 163 countries according to their domestic and international conflicts, safety and security and degree of militarisation.
The most peaceful country in the world is Iceland, which has retained its place at the top of the index since 2008. The other nations in the top five are New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark.
Portugal’s move to third position, is its highest ranking since the inception of the index, and a notable improvement given that it was ranked 16th less than five years ago. Portugal has improved on 12 of the 23 GPI indicators during this time, most notably on weapons imports and violent demonstrations.
Meanwhile, general crime has dropped by 21 percent during the past ten years, while serious crimes are down 32 percent. Initial numbers for the first half of 2017 show that crime has dropped by around ten percent on last year.
Portugal has meanwhile also been rated as one of the top three expat destinations in the world when it comes to the general living experience in the country.
According to the latest HSBC Expat Explorer survey, Portugal was placed third in the Experience league table, just behind New Zealand and Spain.
Portugal was particularly lauded by expats for their healthy lifestyles.
Almost three-fifths of expats in Portugal (57 percent) say their physical health is better as a result of the move, compared to a global average of 36 percent.
The survey was completed by 27,587 expats from 159 countries and territories through an online questionnaire in March and April 2017, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by HSBC Expat.