An increasing number of people from the West are relocating to Poland, drawn by its reputation as an ideal, peaceful place to live amid economic uncertainty and security concerns, as reported by the Visegrad24 portal. This trend is backed by the data.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | euractiv.pl)
Western Europeans are supposedly attracted to Poland due to its booming economy with almost nonexistent unemployment, exceptionally efficient public transportation, and a unique blend of modernity and tradition, symbolized by Warsaw, according to Visegrad24.
Above all, however, Poland is regarded as one of the safest countries in Europe. While Swedish authorities struggle with gang violence—placing Sweden among the EU nations with the highest crime rates—Poland ranks at the opposite end of the spectrum: third from the bottom.
According to Eurostat data from 2019, the crime rate—measured as the percentage of people reporting crimes relative to the total population—is highest in Bulgaria (20.2%), followed by Greece (16.9%), the Netherlands (16.3%), France (14.7%), and Malta (13.6%). In Poland, this figure stands at just 4.4%, with only Lithuania (3.2%) and Croatia (2.7%) reporting lower rates.
Poland also boasts one of the lowest homicide rates in the world. According to World Bank data, the highest homicide rates per 100,000 people are recorded in the Virgin Islands (50), South Africa (42), St. Lucia (39), Lesotho (38), and several small Caribbean islands (32). In Poland, the rate is just 1, and across Central Europe and the Baltic States, it is effectively 0.
Additionally, Poland has one of the lowest femicide rates in the EU, with just 0.4 cases per 100,000 residents—the same as in the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Only Ireland (0.3) and Belgium (0.2) report lower figures, though data for Luxembourg and Malta is unavailable. By contrast, the highest femicide rates globally are found in the Central African Republic (10.6), Jamaica (9.3), South Africa (9), and Saint Lucia (8.8).
When it comes to crimes against women, Poland remains one of the safest countries in Europe. The rate of sexual violence stands at just 8.6 incidents per 100,000 residents, significantly lower than in Sweden (200.34), France (126.08), and Denmark (107.19), which report the highest figures within the EU.
The Global Terrorism Index (GTI), developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace, assigns Poland a perfect score of 0.0. The GTI measures the impact of terrorism on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 represents negligible terrorist activity and 10 signifies widespread terrorism. Globally, the highest scores are found in Burkina Faso (8.571), Israel (8.143), Mali (7.998), Pakistan (7.916), and Syria (7.89). Within the European Union, Greece (3.028), Germany (2.782), and France (2.647) experience the most significant levels of terrorism.
Poland is one of several EU member states, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, and Slovenia, with a GTI score of 0.0, indicating a lack of terrorist activity.
According to Visegrad24, safety in Poland is so high that when selecting a place to reside, most individuals prioritize factors such as proximity to city centers or workplaces over crime rates. Conversely, in numerous major Western cities, declining security has rendered urban life progressively less agreeable, compelling residents to allocate an increasing proportion of their income to relocate to safer neighborhoods.
Poland’s road safety record is less favorable. In 2023, Poland had 52 road fatalities per million inhabitants, compared to the EU average of 46, according to Eurostat data. Italy and Slovakia reported the same rate.
Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden have safer roads.
Sweden boasts the safest roads in the EU, with just 22 traffic-related deaths per million residents. Conversely, Bulgaria and Romania have the highest fatality rates, at 82 and 81 deaths per million, respectively.
Eurostat observes that Bulgaria’s population has been decreasing at a faster rate, which is a factor in the increase in the per capita fatality rate.
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