Overview

• The Institute for Economics and Peace ranks Iceland as the most secure place to shelter in a Third World War, with Ireland second and New Zealand third.
• All three top-ranked countries are islands, a pattern the study links to remoteness, limited strategic targets and easier border control.
• IEP assessed multiple factors, including geography, map location, current economic conditions, historical stance on wars, military capabilities and past involvement in conflicts.
• Separate AI-driven lists highlighted Iceland, New Zealand and Switzerland as comparatively safer due to neutrality, resilience, renewable energy and extensive civil defenses.
• Experts warn a large nuclear exchange could cause a nuclear winter and collapse global food systems, with a Nature Food study estimating over 5 billion hunger deaths and commentary noting Australia and New Zealand as better placed for long-term survival; vulnerability analyses also flag risks such as direct confrontation with nuclear powers, resource dependence and territorial disputes, with Ukraine cited as highly exposed.