Economics and security are closely connected. A strong economy and safe citizenry each enables the improvement of the other.

The World Economic Forum takes a nation's security into account for its annual "Global Competitiveness Report," focusing on the threats that organized crime, terrorism, homicide rates, and reliability of its police force can pose to a nation's place in the global economy.

The US ranks as the 56th most secure country in the world, falling just short of China at 55.

Here are the top 20 safest countries in the world, according to the forum's October 16, 2018, report: