A lush tropical island in the Indian Ocean boasts stunning beaches and scenery – and ranks top among Africa’s safest countries, according to recent data.
The Global Peace Index (GPI), a report by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) which quantifies the absence of violence or the fear of violence to assess a nation’s level of peace, found Mauritius to be the safest on the continent for 2024.
Some 163 countries featured, taking into account indicators such as the number of internal and external violent conflicts, distrust, and political instability.
Nations rank higher on the list in terms of safety, the lower the score. In 2023 Mauritius’ GPI rating also put it 23rd in the safest countries globally.
According to the ranking, the island in East Africa has a very low crime rate overall, with the small amount of crime that does occur tending to be non-violent, such as petty theft, according to Discover Africa.
Throughout history, the island had been under Dutch, French and British control before gaining independence in the early 1990s.
But it has retained its religious and cultural diversity, with a unique culture blending Indian, African and European influences.
It’s also become a popular tourist destination, attracting 1.3 million visitors last year, according Mauritian government figures.
A major pull are its sunswept beaches and lagoons, with the likes of Le Morne, Ile aux Cerfs, and Flic en Flac among the best, according to The Times.
As well as a wealth of white sand beaches and plenty of sky blue water for watersports lovers to carve up, it also has dazzling natural beauty like the famous sand dunes of Chamarel known as the “seven-colored earth” for its extraordinarily vibrant appearance.
You can find the full list of the top 10 safest countries in Africa by GPI rating below.
