SAFEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD TO TRAVEL TO IN 2026

For nearly a decade we’ve been asking the same question: What makes a country a safe place to travel? 

Since 2018 we’ve been compiling lists of the world’s safest places. But this article not only provides an overall ranking of safest countries to travel to, but also separate rankings based on specific types of safety, as well as different age and income groups. 

We also include our “Hall of Fame” ranking list, which includes the countries which have finished in the top 10 since 2018.  

Here are the safest countries for travelers in 2026: 

THE SAFEST COUNTRIES IN 2026

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

Just for comparison, here is the 2025 list:

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

 

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD’S SAFEST COUNTRIES

Changes

There’s been a lot of movement in this year’s edition of the World’s Safest Countries, but it’s movement within a prescribed range. 

Northern Europe, Canada, the ANZAC countries, and Japan are staples of the … oh, what’s this? The United Arab Emirates? 

True. The UAE’s years of reputation-building as a safe destination has paid off. Last year the UAE was 18th; this year it’s seventh.  

But that’s not all the movement we need to talk about. Consider: 

• Iceland fell out of the top spot – but by less than one point. 

• The Netherlands captured the top spot after coming in 14th last year. 
  
  
• Ireland fell from fourth to 10th, but the country one spot below it, Belgium, moved up from 20th. 
  
  
• Norway, last year’s No. 8 safest country, fell not only out of the top 10 but the top 20, all the way down to 23rd. 
  
  
• And a new entrant on the list, Austria, took the No. 3 spot.  

History and Methodology

We survey a large group of American travelers and ask them where they’ve traveled in the last five years. Only people who have visited specific countries can rate those countries on safety. 

We then augment those ratings with 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. 

From there, we blend in past results with the scores from outside sources and calculate a weighted score that reflects each country’s overall safety. 

The beauty of this approach is its balance. No one score tips in balance in favor of one country over another, and each score contributes to the overall score. 

 

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. 

We’ve had wildfires ravage Australia shortly after it was named a top-five safest destination, and volcanoes spew lava all over Iceland similarly. 

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 safety steps include: 

• Signing up for the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program 

• Paying attention to the State Department’s Country Information sheets for countries around the world 

• Buying travel insurance to protect your investment 

So who’s ready for the big reveal? 

 

THE TOP 15 SAFEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

1. The Netherlands

Rank Last Year: 14

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It’s a peace-loving place. The Global Peace Index rates it highly, and Numbeo gives its cities very high marks for safety, with two (The Hague and Eindhoven) making the top 12. The travelers we surveyed agreed, giving it near-top marks for health measures, overall safety, and safety for female travelers, LGBTQIA+ travelers, and travelers of color. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Bicycles. Bikes have their own paths in Amsterdam and other major Dutch cities, and they cross pedestrian walkways, forcing you to look both ways before crossing. Also, young bikers’ affinity for high-speed, mini-bike-like e-bikes adds another element of danger. 

What We Say 

“Traveling safely means … watch your belongings; be aware of your surroundings; be alcohol-smart; limit the time you spend walking streets alone after dark.” 

From our article on safe travel to Europe. 

2. Australia

Rank Last Year: 2

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It gets the highest marks for health measures and is near the top for safety from terrorism. Smart Move Australia says it’s because of a “stable political system, low crime rate, and strict biosecurity and gun control laws.” 

What You Need To Watch Out For

The things you bring into the country. The State Department states, “Australian customs authorities enforce strict regulations concerning the importation of agricultural goods, including plants, food products, and wood products, as well as strict quarantine standards for animals and pets.” 

What We Say

"Australia was and is a very safe country for travelers, though like virtually every destination on the planet, it requires some planning, vigilance, and intelligence from travelers.” 

From our article about safe travel to Australia.  

 

3. Austria

Rank Last Year: Not ranked (new to our survey)

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It’s the fourth-most-peaceable country in the world according to the World Peace Index, and Numbeo has it in the top 20 of safe countries. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Demonstrations … maybe? The State Department says there are a fair amount of demonstrations in Vienna, and in fact the last two travel alerts for the country dealt with said demonstrations. Otherwise, pickpockets on trains between Vienna and Budapest, Prague or Rome. 

4. Iceland

Rank Last Year: 1

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It’s the world’s most peaceful country according to the Global Peace Index. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Volcanic eruptions. Eruptions always carry the potential for disruption, but they’re particularly problematic in Iceland, since the lava flows very often affect the one main road that rings the country. This has the potential to leave travelers stranded. 

What We Say 

“The shoulders of the ‘shoulder season’ in Iceland are narrow. A little bit of October and some of April are your only bridges between winter and summer.” 

Learn more about planning a trip to Iceland. 

5. Canada

Rank Last Year: 3

Why It’s Ranked Highly

ImmigCanada breaks down Canada’s safety into security (low crime rate, counterterrorism measures, secure transportation), healthcare for all, diversity, and economic stability. It’s also the top-rated North American country in the Global Peace Index. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Violating parking laws – and by that, we mean more than just letting the meter expire. As the State Department says, “Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver…may fine you for unlocked doors or visible valuables.” 

What We Say

“If you leave the beaten path in western Canada you may not be prepared for what you encounter. Sometimes the mere act of getting off the Trans-Canada Highway puts you in a wilderness where simple services are hundreds of miles away.” 

Learn more about planning a trip to Canada.  

6. New Zealand

Rank Last Year: 6

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It’s No. 3 in the Global Peace Index, and the travelers who submit their ratings to GeoSure think the cities are super-safe. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

“You can walk to the edges of [New Zealand’s] glaciers, but for a more in-depth exploration, it’s best to hire a guide.” 

What We Say 

“New Zealand's diverse climate means there's no bad time to visit, though you can experience some temperature extremes throughout the year depending on where you are ... [remember] that seasons are ‘backwards’ from what [they are in] the United States.” 

Learn about planning a vacation To New Zealand. 

7. United Arab Emirates

Rank Last Year: 18

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Seven of the top 10 cities in Numbeo’s crime index are in the UAE sphere, including the top six (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah, Doha, Dubai, and Ras al-Khaimah). 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Doing anything illegal, particularly crimes involving drugs or the violation of dress and behavior codes. Justice is swift and penalties are harsh. 

What We Say 

“It’s … illegal for travelers to bring into Dubai e-cigarettes and related paraphernalia as well as any products containing CBD – even prescription medications.” 

From our article on safe travel to Dubai. 

8. Switzerland

Rank Last Year: 5

Why It’s Ranked Highly

If you leave the UAE off to one side, Switzerland is right up there with the Netherlands and Estonia for having the greatest number of cities in the top 30 of Numbeo’s crime index. The country ranks fifth in the Global Peace Index. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Alpine hazards. Per the State Department, “avalanches and snowdrifts, landslides and flooding, glacial crevasses, falling rocks, sun exposure, and sudden weather changes are common year-round” and “public safety warnings are not comparable to those found in the United States.” 

What We Say

“GeoSure Global’s city-by-city rankings has Switzerland's major cities – Basel, Bern, Geneva, and Zurich – as 85th-to-90th-percentile safe for everything except theft, and even there the scores are far above average.” 

Learn more in our piece on planning a vacation to Switzerland. 

9. Japan

Rank Last Year: 9

Why It’s Ranked Highly

The country is the exception to the rule that only sparsely populated countries are safe. It’s 12th in the Global Peace Index and 11th in Numbeo’s country safety rankings. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Your prescriptions. Certain prescription drugs like Adderall are not allowed in Japan, and Japanese pharmacies will not honor U.S. prescriptions. 

What We Say 

“Use navigation tools for public transit and avoid rush hour! Be mindful if you’re driving and remember Japan has cars on the left.” 

Get the full story in our piece on safe travel to Japan. 

10. Ireland

Rank Last Year: 4

Why It’s Ranked Highly

The country is No. 2 in the Global Peace Index rankings for a variety of reasons: low levels of firearms ownership, a low violent-crime rate, low incarceration rate, few violent demonstrations, and a small amount of political instability. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Damage to rental cars. The State Department advises removing the rental-car sticker from the back window of your vehicle before parking it. 

What We Say 

“Irish roads are rough and narrow. Passing tour buses with all that car to your left can be terrifying. Before you take the Slea Head Drive, practice on some country roads with no tour buses or sheer dropoffs.” 

Want to know more? Read our piece on planning a trip to Ireland. 

11. Belgium

Rank Last Year: 20

Why It’s Ranked Highly

While it gets dinged for having relatively relaxed firearms laws, everything else about this land of beer and frites points in the direction of overwhelming safety for travelers. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Bags on trains. The State Department notes a rash of thefts from light bags placed on the shelves above travelers’ seats. 

What We Say 

“Rental-car companies in Europe will expect to see a valid U.S. driver’s license. Some even require an international driver’s permit.” 

Our piece on planning a trip to Europe has tips for travel to Belgium and other European countries. 

12. Portugal

Rank Last Year: 11

Why It’s Ranked Highly

The seventh most peaceable country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index, Portugal gets high marks from our survey respondents for transportation safety and safety from violent crime and terrorism. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

What you take pictures of. According to the State Department, “Filming and photographing the police or military and certain buildings in Portugal is illegal and could lead to arrest or detention.” Also, pepper spray is illegal. 

What We Say

“Don’t flash jewelry, cash or valuables, and use a lanyard for your phone.” 

Get more tips on planning a trip to Portugal in our post on the topic. 

13. France

Rank Last Year: 17

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It has low violent-crime and incarceration rates; survey respondents gave it high marks for transportation safety and health safety. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Listen to the U.S. Embassy in Paris: “Hold your purse or shoulder bag tightly under your arm when in crowds. Keep it on your lap or in full sight in restaurants and public places. On the street, a woman should walk some distance from the curb and carry her handbag under the arm away from the street to prevent motorcycle thieves from grabbing it. Do not stand too close to the curb while waiting to cross a street. Be alert for groups of noisy children who swarm about you with distracting signs or papers begging for money. Despite their youth, they are among the best pickpockets in Paris.” 

What We Say

“You don’t need special vaccinations to visit France; just make sure your routine vaccines are up to date.” 

Want to know more? Read our post on planning a trip to France. 

14. United Kingdom

Rank Last Year: 13

Why It’s Ranked Highly

Our survey respondents gave it high marks for overall safety and health safety. GeoSure says that most of the neighborhoods frequented by travelers are quite safe, and the Global Peace Index notes its low homicide rate. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Cybercrime. The Canadian government recommends that travelers to the U.K. avoid using public Wi-Fi networks and making purchases on unsecured websites. 

What They’re Saying 

“While London is a safe city compared to many cities in the U.S., especially in terms of violent crime, it does have some issues with less-serious crimes like theft which can nonetheless be upsetting to travelers.” 

Get more tips on travel safety in the U.K. in our post on safe travel in London.  

15. Denmark

Rank Last Year: 10

Why It’s Ranked Highly

It ranks just below Iceland in Numbeo’s country crime rankings, and survey respondents praised Denmark for its high levels of safety for women, LGBTQIA+ travelers, and travelers of color. 

What You Need To Watch Out For

Photography. The Christiana district of Copenhagen has become known as a haven for the drug trade and a place where practically anything goes. However, as the Canadian government states, “There is zero tolerance for photography in Christiania and tourists have become victims of assault and robbery after taking pictures.” 

What We Say

“The ‘Ugly American’ might be a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype too often rooted in fact. To avoid being painted with that brush, pick up after yourself. While it’s not acceptable to litter at home, it’s even more rude to do it abroad.” 

Our post on travel safety for women traveling alone has useful tips on travel to Denmark and many other countries. 

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

1. Japan
2. Canada 
3. Belgium 
4. United Arab Emirates
5. New Zealand
6. Australia 
7. France 
8. Netherlands 
9. Portugal
10. Ireland 

Respondents’ picks line up with the data – the top five are among the world’s safest places statistically when it comes to violent crime. 

 

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

Safest Places To Travel – Safety From Terrorism

1. Australia
2. Netherlands
3. New Zealand
4. Japan 
5. Iceland 
6. Switzerland 
7. Canada
8. Italy
9. France 
10. China 

Good calls: Australia, New Zealand, and Japan rarely see any sort of terrorist activity. 

Safest Places To Travel – Transportation Safety

1. Japan
2. Canada 
3. Austria 
4. Australia 
5. France 
6. Netherlands 
7. United Arab Emirates
8. New Zealand
9. Belgium
10. Switzerland 

Not only are Japan’s shinkansen still among the world’s fastest trains, they continue to be one of the world’s safest ways to travel quickly cross-country. 

Photo by Atoms on Unsplash

Safest Places To Travel – Health Measures

1. Australia
2. Netherlands
3. New Zealand 
4. Belgium
5. Canada
6. Japan 
7. Ireland 
8. France 
9. United Kingdom 
10. Iceland

Don’t expect to find major disease outbreaks in these countries – and if you do need medical care, you’ll benefit from these countries’ efficient healthcare-delivery systems. 

Safest Places To Travel – Women’s/LGBTQIA+/People of Color Safety

1. Netherlands 
2. Canada 
3. France 
4. Australia 
5. Austria 
6. United Kingdom 
7. Ireland 
8. Iceland 
9. Japan 
10. Switzerland 

No surprise: Seven of the top 10 countries are in Europe. 

Photo by Jordan Opel on Unsplash

RANKINGS BY AGE AND INCOME

Unlike past years, survey respondents had wildly different 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

1. Australia 
2. Japan 
3. New Zealand 
4. Israel 
5. Canada 
6. Vietnam 
7. United Kingdom 
8. China 
9. Switzerland 
10. Italy 

Millennials are among the most ambitious travelers; these results bear that out. 

Gen Z Survey Respondents

1. United Arab Emirates 
2. Canada 
3. Denmark 
4. South Korea 
5. Netherlands 
6. Ireland 
7. France 
8. Mexico 
9. Austria 
10. Japan 

The UAE's persistent travel marketing is paying dividends with the youngest and most travel-happy of all demographic groups.  

Respondents With A Household Income Of More Than $350,000

1. Philippines 
2. Italy 
3. Austria 
4. Norway 
5. Canada 
6. New Zealand 
7. United States 
8. Thailand 
9. Australia 
10. Turkey 

An eclectic collection of countries – and the U.S. makes an appearance for the first time. 

Photo by John T on Unsplash

 

Respondents Spending More Than $25,000/Year On Travel

1. Austria 
2. Japan 
3. Philippines 
4. Netherlands 
5. Canada 
6. Switzerland 
7. Italy 
8. Ireland 
9. Dominican Republic 
10. New Zealand 

For a country making its first appearance in the survey, Austria has made quite an impression with our survey respondents. 

Mature Survey Respondents

1. Iceland 
2. Norway 
3. Switzerland 
4. Japan 
5. Australia 
6. South Korea 
7. Germany 
8. Canada 
9. Sweden 
10. Hungary 

Not a lot of risk-taking here – but a more ambitious list than in past years. 

Parents

1. Austria 
2. Japan 
3. Philippines 
4. Netherlands 
5. Canada 
6. Switzerland 
7. Italy 
8. Ireland 
9. Dominican Republic 
10. New Zealand 

Parents aren’t shying away from international destinations, whether European, Asian or tropical. 

LGBTQIA+ Travelers

1. Denmark 
2. Australia 
3. Canada 
4. Norway 
5. Japan 
6. United Arab Emirates 
7. Switzerland 
8. Jamaica 
9. Ireland 
10. New Zealand 

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are not generally thought of as safe locations for LGBTQIA+ travelers – but those travelers think they’re safe. 

Hall of Fame 

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. 

Last year’s inductees were: 

• 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.