Safety when you travel is arguably the most important thing to consider, as really, there’s nothing worse than arriving somewhere and feeling like you need to be on guard for your whole trip.
And how safe a country is can depend on who you are, too, whether you’re a solo woman traveller or a member of a marginalised community. So, having a good idea of where you’ll feel most comfortable is a good place to start when you’re planning a trip – and new research by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection is here to help.
By surveying US travellers on where they’ve visited in the last five years and tying in indices such as the Global Peace Index (which also produces a safety ranking) and GeoSure Global scores, the insurance provider has compiled a list of the world’s safest places.
Claiming the crown as the planet’s safest place? It’s Iceland. Shocker. Despite climbing eight places since last year’s ranking, the country has also topped the Global Peace Index list of safest countries in 2023, 2024 and this study on the safest countries for women.
In second place was Australia (which came tenth last year) and in third place was Canada (which came first last year). Check out the list of the top 15 safest countries in the world below.
These are the safest places to travel in the world
- Iceland
- Australia
- Canada
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- New Zealand
- Germany
- Norway
- Japan
- Denmark
- Portugal
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Sweden
Did you see that the world’s 100 best hotels have been crowned?
Plus: The best (and worst) countries for nature conservation, ranked.
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