15 safest countries in the world for travel

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Published May 8, 2024 at 1:40 pm

safest travel canada

With kids soon finishing school, the busy summer travel season is nearly here but most people will want to consider the safest options for their family.

There are several rankings out there for safe destinations, and travellers should also check out the latest advisories from the Government of Canada.

Earlier this year, travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection released its ninth annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report.

“Travellers planning their getaways for 2024 should consider destinations like Canada, Switzerland and Norway as they took the top three spots on the list of safest countries,” the report notes.

The report looks at survey responses compiled in September 2023 from travellers who have been to the destinations along with several third-party data sources. These additional sources evaluate safety concerns such as terrorism, weather emergencies, health measures and the safety of underrepresented groups.

Originally, a safe place to travel was defined as a country largely free from terrorist activity, the report reads. Then it became a place that was safe from disease outbreaks. Now it’s a place where all types of people can move about freely without discrimination or harassment.

Canada makes the top spot because of its cold weather and low population density, according to the report.

Here are the top 15 safest countries:

  1. Canada
  2. Switzerland
  3. Norway
  4. Ireland
  5. Netherlands
  6. United Kingdom
  7. Portugal
  8. Denmark
  9. Iceland
  10. Australia
  11. New Zealand
  12. Japan
  13. France
  14. Spain
  15. Brazil

“The 2024 list saw a few shifts from last year’s safest destinations, with Canada breaking into the top five and taking the lead spot as the safest destination,” Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection states in a press release.

In 2023, Canada was the sixth safest country.

Also, 2023’s top three destinations – the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland – dropped out of the top three this year, but all remained in the top 10.

It should be noted that some countries on this list have travel advisories from the Government of Canada including Brazil, France and Spain.

travel advisories safety

Another popular resource for evaluating the safety of countries is the Global Peace Index, which is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The index measures the state of peace across three domains: the level of societal safety and security; the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarization.

In this ranking, done in 2023, Canada is number 11.

Here is the Global Peace Index list of countries:

  1. Iceland
  2. Denmark
  3. Ireland
  4. New Zealand
  5. Austria
  6. Singapore
  7. Portugal
  8. Slovenia
  9. Japan
  10. Switzerland
  11. Canada
  12. Czechia
  13. Finland
  14. Croatia
  15. Germany

Wherever people choose to travel, it’s worth checking out the latest advisories from the Government of Canada as conditions can change quickly.

“These ratings aren’t predictive – that is, just because we say Canada is safe that doesn’t mean it will rank in the Top 10 in the future. Also, it doesn’t account for the possibility of natural disasters, like the Canadian wildfires,” the State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report notes.

See the State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report here, and the Global Peace Index here.

Lead photo: Brett Sayles

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