Canada took the top spot in Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection‘s ninth annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report’s country rankings, and Hawai’i’s capital, Honolulu, lead the city rankings.
The report, which was released January 9, 2024, is the longest-running research project tracking U.S. travelers’ attitudes toward travel safety and travel insurance.
To determine the rankings, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) analyzes a combination of the State of Travel Insurance survey responses compiled in September from travelers 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.
Top 15 Safest Countries
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Norway
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Portugal
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Japan
- France
- Spain
- Brazil
Top 15 Safest Cities
- Honolulu
- Montreal
- Reykjavik
- Sydney
- Amsterdam
- Dubai
- Copenhagen
- London
- Seoul
- Venice, Italy
- Tokyo
- Berlin
- Paris
- Barcelona
- Orlando
BHTP explains that 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. Each of last year’s top three destinations – Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland – dropped out of the top three this year, but all remained in the top 10. The list of safest cities also saw a few shake ups with Honolulu making it into the top 10 cities and securing the number one spot.
While the list has traditionally been dominated by Scandinavian nations, Northern Europe and English-speaking countries in Oceania, this year noted Asian and South American nations in the Top 15, with Japan and Brazil making the list.
BHTP’s State of Travel Insurance research has been conducted each fall since 2016 by Polymath Research + Marketing, using independent national panels surveying thousands of consumers on future expectations in travel insurance and travel habits. The lists of the world’s safest countries and cities were created using an index that synthesizes results from multiple sources, including the U.S. State Department, the British financial magazine The Economist, safety-app creator GeoSure Global, Vision of Humanity, Numbeo, and Global Finance magazine. Past rankings also are factored in.
Click here to read more on the safest cities ranking and here to read more on safest countries.
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