SAFEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD TO TRAVEL TO IN 2027
For 10 years we’ve been studying the question: What makes a country a safe place to travel?
The result of our research has been our annual list of the World’s Safest Places. This year's list, part of a comprehensive survey of the safety attitudes of American travelers, reflects what those travelers consider the safest countries in the world in 2027, based on their actual experiences with those countries.
Through our research, we’ve seen the components of a safe destination shift over the years, as Millennials have passed the live-to-travel torch to Gen Z.
Despite everything, though, the desire to travel remains strong, and the desire to travel to a safe destination remains stronger still. And in this era of heightened tensions and higher prices, it persists.
Here are the safest countries for travelers in 2027:
The Safest Countries in 2027
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Iceland
- Japan
- Austria
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Portugal
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Spain
- Germany
Just for comparison, here is the 2026 list:
- Netherlands
- Australia
- Austria
- Iceland
- Canada
- New Zealand
- United Arab Emirates
- Switzerland
- Japan
- Ireland
- Belgium
- Portugal
- France
- United Kingdom
- Denmark
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
What You Need to Know About the World's Safest Countries
Changes
Last year, the United Arab Emirates was rated as the seventh-safest country. Now it’s 16th – and it could have been even lower if we only surveyed travelers who had been to the UAE in the last year, as opposed to the last five years.
This was also a good year for Scandinavian countries. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all made big moves up the rankings.
In fact, the top condition for moving up the rankings was being located in Europe, which says a lot about the current state of world travel safety. The sure things are the safe things.
However, there’s a mitigating circumstance we need to mention with this year’s rankings, namely ...
History and methodology
For just about as long as we’ve done the Safest Places rankings, we’ve used a weighted index that gives the most weight to our own research but also incorporates other indices and information, including the Global Peace Index, data from Numbeo, and an average of the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities in each country.
The wrinkle is that other safety ratings have come along since we created our index, and they have enough statistical validity to be included.
As a result, this year’s ratings adds data from the World Health Organization, the Equaldex Equality Index, and the Global Terrorism Index.
This additional data didn’t cause major changes in the rankings, as the final results closely mirror our own survey research. But they added depth.
Photo by Tsunami Green on Unsplash
Caveat
The survey results are from a point in time. If something major is happening in a country during the time the survey is open, that affects the ratings. If something happens subsequently, that doesn’t affect the ratings.
So for instance, attacks on Kuwait happened during the survey period. They probably affected the UAE’s safety rankings – and rightly so.
Even if you’re going to the safest place on earth, it’s a good idea to take additional steps to protect yourself and stay ahead of travel-safety issues.
These include things like:
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Signing up for the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
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Paying attention to the State Department’s Country Information sheets for countries around the world
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Buying travel insurance to protect your investment
The biggest trend: Gen Z
One big thing our research has turned up over the last several years in that Gen Z loves to travel. They crave experiences, go to different destinations, take risks, but they also acknowledge the threats posed to their travels by a changing environment and geopolitical climate.
In terms of their love of travel, Gen Z isn’t too different from the Millennials that precede them.
At similar life stages Millennials had many of the same travel behaviors but saw fewer threats, because they were doing their globetrotting pre-COVID.
However, because Gen Z is the next great generation of travelers we thought it would be fun to include their perspective for each of the world’s safest countries.
Now, who’s ready for the big reveal?
The Top 15 Safest Countries in the World
1. Canada
Total Score: 82.47
Rank Last Year: 5
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Our survey respondents gave it top marks for travel safety for women, minority travelers, and LGBTQIA+ travelers – the last echoed by a strong Equaldex rating. It also receives high marks from the Global Peace Index and the Global Terrorism Index.
What To Watch Out For
Wildfires. The last several years have seen a spate of wildfires in northern Canada that have created severe air-quality issues for most of Canada’s major cities.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z definitely likes Canada. It’s the 10th most frequently visited country by Gen Z travelers, and their third-safest.
What We Say
"[If you plan on exploring the Canadian wilderness] consult with experts (like park rangers) before venturing off, let people know where you’re going, study topographic maps before you leave and carry the same maps with you.”
From our article about planning a trip to Canada.
2. New Zealand
Total Score: 81.31
Rank Last Year: 6
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Low rates of militarism, no internal or external terrorist threats, an extremely healthy population, and safe cities with few neighborhoods that could even be considered slightly sketchy.
What To Watch Out For
Fast-changing weather, especially along the country’s south coast. As the State Department notes, “The weather can change fast, especially near the coast and in the mountains. Earthquakes, floods, and landslides can happen suddenly and block roads or trap travelers.”
How Gen Z Feels
This generation can pick a winner: New Zealand is Gen Z’s choice for the world’s safest country.
What We Say
“New Zealand requires paperwork for you to enter the country. You can either apply for a visa or a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). Most travelers will find a NZeTA more than sufficient, and New Zealand Immigration recommends you apply for it first. It’s easier to apply for, too.”
From our article on planning a New Zealand vacation.
3. Australia
Total Score: 80.82
Rank Last Year: 2
Why It’s Ranked Highly
The State Department has nothing but good things to say, it’s a top-20 finisher in the Global Peace Index, Equaldex says it’s doing great, and all its cities are very highly rated with GeoSure.
What To Watch Out For
Showing proof of custody. If you go to Australia with a minor child but without your spouse, be prepared to produce paperwork that shows you have custody.
How Gen Z Feels
Australia doesn’t crack the top 10 most-visited countries for Gen Z, though it checks in as fourth-safest.
What We Say
"An Australian vacation demands that you set a budget and plan out expenses to maximize your time in-country. Sure, you can and should come back, but saving up for airfare might take time.”
From our article about planning a trip to Australia.
4. Iceland
Total Score: 78.85
Rank Last Year: 4
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s the world’s most peaceful country according to the Global Peace Index, experiences negligible amounts of terrorism according to the Global Terrorism Index, is a top-20 safe nation according to Numbeo, and gets an equality score of 93 out of 100 from Equaldex.
What To Watch Out For
Whale products. Taking them out of Iceland and bringing them into the U.S. is prohibited.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z doesn’t get to Iceland much, which skews its safety numbers. But it’s a top-two safe destination among Gen Zers who have visited.
What We Say
“To see the country, either you’re going to drive or someone else is – which doesn’t sound bad until you ... [learn] there are three types of roads you’ll encounter in roughly equal quantities in Iceland: paved, gravel, and ‘other’.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Iceland.
5. Japan
Total Score: 78.73
Rank Last Year: 9
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s top-10 with Numbeo and the Global Peace Index, and it’s level-one (“Exercise Normal precautions”) with the State Department. Its cities also get great marks from the crowdsourcers at GeoSure.
What To Watch Out For
Adderall and related medications. They're illegal to bring into Japan, and people caught with these drugs can face stiff fines and/or jail time.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z and Japan have something going: The country just misses the top 10 for overall safety among Gen Z respondents, but ranks seventh in safety from violent crime among Gen Z’s who have visited.
What We Say
"We all want to save a couple of bucks, but flights to Japan are long. Spending more to get some additional legroom or a sleeper seat is a worthwhile investment in you.”
From our article about planning a trip to Japan.
6. Austria
Total Score: 78.48
Rank Last Year: 3
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s top-five in the Global Peace Index, top-30 with Numbeo, a level-one with the State Department, and home to highly rated cities per GeoSure Global. It’s also a healthy country that’s getting significantly healthier, according to the WHO.
What To Watch Out For
Speed and traffic cameras. Austria has a lot of them, and you will be sent tickets in the mail if you’re caught on camera violating the law. If you’re driving a rental car (which you likely will be), the ticket will be sent to your address on the rental-car agreement.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z doesn’t have a whole lot of feels for Austria; it finished outside of the Gen Z top 10 for frequency of visits and overall safety.
What We Say
“Unless you’re traveling only to the lowland portions of Austria in the summer, the watchwords are going to be: pack layers.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Austria.
7. Ireland
Total Score: 77.87
Rank Last Year: 10
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s top-five in the Global Peace Index, level-one with the State Department, and getting healthier all the time according to WHO. Its cities are also rated as quite safe by GeoSure.
What To Watch Out For
Bullet casings. You’re not allowed to bring casings or spent shells into Ireland.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z hasn’t quite vibed with the Emerald Isle; it didn’t make the Gen Z top 10 for either frequency of travel or travel safety.
What We Say
“You need to pack for an American late fall or winter just about any time you visit Ireland. That means jeans, sweaters, hats, gloves, and above all, a really good raincoat.”
Learn more about planning an Irish vacation.
8. The Netherlands
Total Score: 77.09
Rank Last Year: 1
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s not too surprising to learn that the Netherlands do well in the Equaldex ratings. It may be more of a surprise that it’s one of the top-rated destinations by mature travelers in our safety rankings, and a top-10 destination among male travelers as well.
What To Watch Out For
Let’s leave it to the State Department: “While Dutch tolerance policy allows for personal possession of small amounts of cannabis and purchase at licensed 'coffee shops,' possession of large amounts of cannabis is illegal." It’s also illegal to bring it into the country.
How Gen Z Feels
Somewhat surprisingly given the number of Gen Zers who hit Holland at Spring Break, the Netherlands finished outside the Gen Z top 10 for overall safety and frequency of visits.
What We Say
“Eternal vigilance is the rule for driving in major Dutch cities, but once you get outside of the city traffic moves freely and swiftly on well-maintained, mostly multilane roads.”
Learn more about planning a trip to the Netherlands.
9. Denmark
Total Score: 76.63
Rank Last Year: 15
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Top 25 in the Numbeo safety rankings, top 11 in the Global Peace Index, and about as healthy as a country gets, according to WHO. And not that it counts in our country rankings, but Copenhagen was just named the world’s most livable city.
What To Watch Out For
Bikes. Half of all Copenhagen residents bike to their jobs.
How Gen Z Feels
Denmark is another country traveling under Gen Z’s radar. It did not make that generation’s top 10 for travel safety or travel frequency.
What We Say
“If your plans include a trip to the Faroe Islands or Greenland, summer is pretty much your only time to travel ... Even with all that daylight, any weather on the Faroe Islands is sweater weather, and a down jacket is always part of the packing whenever you visit Greenland.”
Learn more about planning a Denmark vacation.
10. Portugal
Total Score: 75.63
Rank Last Year: 12
Why It’s Ranked Highly
A favorite of American expats, Portugal is seventh in the Global Peace Index, 40th in Numbeo’s safety index, and has cities that rank highly with the raters at GeoSure. Also, if you’ve ever been you know how safe Portugal can be.
What To Watch Out For
Accessibility for disabled travelers. A combination of narrow streets, cobblestones, old buildings, and many steps can make getting around difficult for people in wheelchairs and with other accessibility needs.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z is somewhat slow to catch on to Portugal’s charms, leaving it outside its top 10 for travel frequency and travel safety.
What We Say
“Greet friends with handshakes or “air kisses,” dress modestly when visiting religious sites and tip 10% in restaurants, [rounding] up for services.”
Learn more about planning a Portugal vacation.
11. Norway
Total Score: 75.39
Rank Last Year: 23
Why It’s Ranked Highly
American travelers rated Norway seventh for overall safety and fourth for safety from disease, while the State Department gives the country its best rating – a level-one.
What To Watch Out For
Driving in the country’s north. Getting to fjordside towns can be treacherous even in the best weather. Landslides, sinkholes and avalanches are not uncommon. Trains, boats, and planes are often better options.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z does have some feelings about Norway, ranking it 11th overall for travel safety while leaving it out of its travel-frequency top 10.
What We Say
“Norway in the summer ranges from kinda temperate to downright hot to arctic, depending on where you are. Because of this, you need to pack for just about any sort of weather.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Norway.
12. Switzerland
Total Score: 74.73
Rank Last Year: 8
Why It’s Ranked Highly
For starters, Switzerland came in third in the Global Peace Index. GeoSure absolutely loves its cities, the State Department is on board with a level-1 rating, and it’s a top safety pick in our survey from respondents as different as mature travelers and people who spend $10,000 or more on travel each year.
What To Watch Out For
Speeding. Swiss police are zealous in their pursuit of speeders, and egregious speeding can result in fines of 1,000 Swiss francs or more, plus additional court costs.
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z left Switzerland off its most-visited and safest-places top-10 lists, with the country checking in at 31st for overall safety – a result of a small sample size of 20 travelers.
What We Say
“If you’re traveling with kids, Switzerland has specific family hotels that must adhere to some stringent and typically Swiss guidelines. For the family it’s hard to go wrong with these – and farm stays.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Switzerland.
13. Italy
Total Score: 74.27
Rank Last Year: 18
Why It’s Ranked Highly
While many of the measures and indices consider Italy to be middle-of-the-road at best for safety, American travelers beg to differ. They put Italy in the top 10 for overall safety, transportation safety and safety from disease.
What To Watch Out For
Sitting at monuments, especially if you’ve been drinking. According to the State Department, “Many cities in Italy have rules for fountains and monuments that ban activities like eating, drinking, sitting, or bathing. There are also restrictions on drinking alcohol after certain hours.”
How Gen Z Feels
Gen Z likes Italy. It’s the seventh-most-visited country (third-most-visited in Europe) and the sixth-safest. Gen Z also places the country in the top 10 for overall safety, transportation safety, safety from disease, and safety from terrorism.
What We Say
“Rent the smallest car you and your luggage can fit into. Why? Italian roads are really narrow. When you’re meeting a lorry on a twisty mountain road, you’ll wish your car were even smaller and narrower.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Italy.
14. Spain
Total Score: 74.06
Rank Last Year: 21
Why It’s Ranked Highly
Slotting in just above Germany in the Global Peace Index, Spain’s cities get high marks for safety from GeoSure and Numbeo. The country gets a perfect score for legal protections from Equaldex, and outside of a blanket warning on terrorism, the State Department has nothing bad to say.
What To Watch Out For
Demonstrations. There are still semi-active separatist movements centered in Barcelona and the country’s mountainous northwest. These often spur demonstrations – but this is Spain, and just about anything can spur a demonstration. Steer clear.
How Gen Z Feels
It’s the fifth-most-visited country for Gen Z, though respondents are cooler on Spain’s safety, placing it middle-of-the-pack.
What They’re Saying
"[Spanish] hostels are almost always clean and safe. Check reviews for the best ones (though you may have to sift through the obviously fake reviews to get to the real lowdown).”
Learn more about planning a trip to Spain.
15. Germany
Total Score: 73.94
Rank Last Year: 16
Why It’s Ranked Highly
It’s a perennial favorite of travelers in our Safest Places ratings, and it does well in the Global Peace Index and Equaldex ratings. GeoSure likes German cities that aren’t Berlin slightly better than Berlin, but many heavily touristed neighborhoods in Germany’s largest city get high marks.
What To Watch Out For
Knife attacks. All forms of violence are rare in Germany, especially firearms-related attacks, but if you’re going to be a victim of violence, it’s likely to come from a knife attack, whether politically motivated or simply random.
How Gen Z Feels
Top 10 for LGBTQIA+ safety, top 15 for visits, top five overall: Gen Z’s good with Germany.
What We Say
“Germans value punctuality, so arrive on time for tours, reservations, and appointments. On escalators, stand right and walk left. [And] cash remains important, since many smaller establishments don't accept cards.”
Learn more about planning a trip to Germany.
Travel Safety Has Multiple Dimensions
Because people who had actually visited specific countries do our safety ratings, we felt comfortable asking them about multiple aspects of travel safety, including safety from crime, terrorism, and disease, and safety for groups such as travelers of color and LGBTQIA+ travelers.
We used an average of six sub-category scores as the basis for the Safest Places calculation employed above. Here are the top-10 lists for the sub-categories.
Safest places to travel – safety from violent crime
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Japan
- Australia
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Iceland
- Ireland
- China
- Italy
Respondents’ picks line up with the data – the top five are among the world’s safest places statistically when it comes to violent and organized crime.
Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash
Safest places to travel – safety from terrorism
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Iceland
- Australia
- Japan
- Portugal
- Austria
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Ireland
Good calls: None of the top five see much terrorist activity.
Safest places to travel – transportation safety
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Japan
- Canada
- Norway
- Austria
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Italy
- Iceland
Driving around Australia and New Zealand may be challenging for the right-hand-drive novice, but otherwise getting around these countries is a safe-as-milk proposition.
Photo by Atoms on Unsplash
Safest places to travel – health measures
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Ireland
- Australia
- Austria
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Italy
- Spain
Europe, Japan and the ANZAC countries are renowned for their efficient healthcare-delivery systems.
Safest places to travel – women’s/LGBTQIA+/people of color safety
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Austria
- Denmark
- Norway
- Portugal
- Japan
These findings align with safety stats.
Photo by Jordan Opel on Unsplash
Rankings by Age and Income
Unlike past years, survey respondents had differing perceptions of the world’s safest countries depending on their age and income. After we broke apart the responses, here are some of the categories with the biggest deviation from the overall scores:
Millennial survey respondents
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Japan
- Australia
- Denmark
- Italy
- Norway
- China
- Ireland
- Spain
Japan is a top-rated travel destination for Millennials, and China's not far behind.
Gen Z survey respondents
- New Zealand
- Iceland
- Canada
- Australia
- Germany
- Italy
- United Arab Emirates
- Brazil
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
Brazil makes an appearance among Gen Z – one of two South American countries to make an appearance in our top-tens.
Respondents with a household income of more than $350,000
- Canada
- Spain
- Greece
- China
- Italy
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Bahamas
- Ireland
- Egypt
The Bahamas is one of the most expensive destinations in the Western Hemisphere ... so it makes sense that the highest-income travelers would go there and think it’s safe.
Photo by John T on Unsplash
Respondents spending more than $25,000/year on travel
- Canada
- India
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- China
- Italy
- Japan
- Norway
- Greece
- United States
There is some logic to the idea that India would be a prime destination for people who spend a lot on travel.
Mature survey respondents
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Canada
The U.S. has often made this list. It didn’t this year – but Canada squeaked in.
Parents
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Japan
- Australia
- Austria
- Ireland
- Italy
- United Kingdom
- Greece
- Peru
Peru? Parents are increasingly shaping up as ambitious travelers.
LGBTQIA+ travelers
- Norway
- Canada
- Greece
- Ireland
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- Philippines
- Australia
- Germany
- France
The Philippines shows up for the first time as a top-10 safe-travel destination – and it stands to reason that it would show up on the list of one of the most ambitious travel cohorts.
Hall of fame
Once again, there were no new additions this year to the Safe Travel Hall of Fame – countries who have averaged a top-10 position since 2018, when we started our Safest Places ratings.
The inaugural class included:
- Switzerland
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Iceland
- Norway
- Ireland
- Japan
Congratulations to all these countries for their dedication to travel safety.
Final Notes
As a reminder, survey results can be variable.
Regardless of when you feel able to visit the World’s Safest Countries, be sure to choose travel insurance from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection to cover all your travels. Discover what makes our coverage special.
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