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Travel is never risk-free but there are a few destinations that are considered some of the world’s safest places to visit. While Iceland often tops the rankings, another country has risen to the top spot in a new report.<\/p>\n
According to research from the expert team at Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, Canada is the world’s safest country. But how was the ranking judged?<\/p>\n
The team spoke to travellers who’d visited the countries in the last five years for their opinions, looked at the Global Peace Index and pulled data from US State Department travel safety rankings.<\/p>\n
While countries such as Iceland and Norway also made last year’s ranking, there’s been a fair amount of change. Belgium and the UAE both made the top 15 last year but slipped in this year’s ranking.<\/p>\n
So what makes Canada the safest country in the world?<\/p>\n
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Canada topped the ranking when it came to violent crime, with travellers least likely to be involved in an aggressive incident in the North American country. It was also rated safest from terrorism and for women and LGBTQ+ travellers.<\/p>\n
It has a low crime rate compared to the global average although tourists should still take precautions to protect themselves from petty crime.<\/p>\n
Luckily, the world’s safest country is also an incredible holiday destination. Perhaps its most famous attraction, Niagara Falls is a must-see for many tourists. A tourist ‘pricia p’ wrote on Tripadvisor: “The Falls are absolutely amazing, I could have looked at them all day.”<\/p>\n
Switzerland came second on the list and topped the rankings in Europe. The team rated it as one of the world’s safest destinations from terrorism and one of the safest places for women.<\/p>\n
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Switzerland has a low crime rate but tourists should take care in busy areas, particularly in the country’s larger cities, such as Geneva.<\/p>\n
Scandinavia usually ranks highly when it comes to global safety and Norway took third place on the leaderboard. Norway has a low rate of violent crime although it’s an expensive holiday destination with a beer costing as much as £10 in some spots.<\/p>\n
An easy hop across the sea for British tourists, Ireland took fourth place on the list. Although it has a low rate of violent crime, terrorist attacks can’t be ruled out in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands, easily reached from the UK by train or plane, rounded off the top five. The pretty destination is one of the world’s safest from violent crime and it ranked highly on transportation. Bikes are a primary mode of transport and many roads are designed to protect cyclists and pedestrians from cars.<\/p>\n
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Perhaps surprisingly, the UK landed just outside the top five in sixth position. It’s considered one of the world’s safest destinations when it comes to violent crime and its roads were ranked safe to travel.<\/p>\n
Portugal, one of Western Europe’s best-value destinations, was the seventh safest country. It didn’t make the ranking last year but is now considered one of the world’s safest destinations for women, LGTBQ+ and people of colour.<\/p>\n
Denmark was the second Nordic country to make the ranking and landed in eighth place. The team at Berkshire Hathaway said tourists can assume nearby Finland is fairly safe due to its proximity to safe countries such as Norway and Denmark.<\/p>\n
Iceland, which regularly tops the Global Peace Index, ranked in ninth position on this list. It missed out on a top 10 spot in the safety from terrorism rating as well as violent crime. Despite this, the country is generally considered very safe.<\/p>\n
Australia was the first country outside Europe and North America to make the list. It was named one of the world’s safest destinations for terrorism and for women, the LGBTQ+ community and people of colour.<\/p>\n
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