No one wants to go on vacation only to be too afraid to leave their hotel. So, if you’re looking for the safest countries to travel to in 2024, plan your next trip around this list.
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, a travel insurance provider, just released its annual list of the safest countries in the world. The rankings are created using an extensive methodology that includes surveying recent travelers, analyzing data from the Global Peace Index and the US State Department, and evaluating the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities in each country. These data points are used to calculate a weighted score reflecting each country’s safety.
Berkshire Hathaway issues an important caveat alongside its safest countries list: “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.” Inclusion on the list also doesn’t mean that “every part of the company is as safe as any other,” says the company.
This is the ninth year that Berkshire Hathaway has released this study. Over the years, the company says the definition of a safe place to travel has changed over time. “A safe place was originally a place that’s largely free from terrorist activity. 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 rose from sixth place in 2023 to claim the title of the safest country to travel to in 2024. Canada was ranked highly for safety due to its low rates of violent crime. However, travelers are advised to watch out for wildfires, which have been a major issue in the country in recent years, causing diminished air quality and the potential for health problems.
The 15 Safest Countries to Travel to in 2024
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Norway
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Portugal
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Japan
- France
- Spain
- Brazil
Safety looks different for every traveler. The study also broke down the safest countries by a number of specific categories.
Safest Countries to Travel to (Safest From Violent Crime)
- Canada
- Norway
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Portugal
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
Safest Countries to Travel to (Safety From Terrorism)
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Norway
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Australia
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Germany
Safest Countries to Travel to (Safety Transportation Safety)
- Canada
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
Safest Countries to Travel to (Health Measures)
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Ireland
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Brazil
- Portugal
- France
Safest Countries to Travel to (Women’s/LGBTQ/People of Color Safety)
- Canada
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Iceland
- Japan
- Australia
- United Kingdom
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