According to INCAE, the Harvard Business school affiliate in Nicaragua, Nicaragua is the safest country, and Granada is one of the safest cities, in all of Central America. The Inter-American Institute on Human Rights, and a survey of police forces in the Americas, supports this claim and places Managua as the safest capital in the region, and Nicaragua as the safest country in Central America, and among the safest countries in the world. Recent studies also point to Nicaragua's low reported crime rate - lower than in Germany, France or the U.S.
In September 2003 International Living Magazine rated Nicaragua as one of the top ten most attractive countries for retirement. This ranking was based on the high personal safety index, low costs of living and real estate in the country.
"…Nicaragua has the lowest crime rate in central America"
- Miami Herald February 2003