The world's safest countries: Finland named the safest country on Earth

Are you a nervous traveller? Then you might want to consider a trip to Finland, the safest country on Earth according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates follow Finland in the ranking. Their high position is bound to surprise some, given their location in the troubled Middle East. Iceland and Austria complete the top five.

Australia has made the top 20 list coming in as the thirteenth safest country ahead of the Netherlands (17), Norway (18), Sweden (19) and Germany (20).

The world's 20 safest countries, according to the WEF

1. Finland - rating: 6.7
2. Qatar - 6.61
3. UAE - 6.6
4. Iceland - 6.5
5. Austria - 6.47
6. Luxembourg - 6.46
7. New Zealand - 6.41
8. Singapore - 6.4
9. Oman - 6.38
10. Portugal - 6.33
11. Switzerland - 6.32
12. Hong Kong - 6.31
13. Australia - 6.24
14. Slovenia - 6.2
15. Ireland - 6.18
16. Belgium - 6.18
17. Netherlands - 6.16
18. Norway - 6.1
19. Sweden - 6.1
20. Germany - 6.06

The UK didn't even make the top 20, in fact the top 60 safest countries, coming in at 63rd, below the likes of Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Rwanda.

The US fares even worse, lagging behind in 73rd, just below Albania, Bahrain and Kazahkstan.

The rankings take into account "the costliness of common crime and violence as well as terrorism, and the extent to which police services can be relied upon to provide protection from crime," the report states.

Bottom of its survey is Nigeria, followed by Colombia, Yemen, Pakistan and Venezuela. It should be noted, however, that a number of countries, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Libya, and North Korea, do not feature at all.