Despite being ranked a safe country for travel, Canada has failed to crack the top 15 safest destinations, according to a new ranking.
HelloSafe’s Travel Safety Index found Canada to be the safest country in North America for travel, but gave the country a “safe” ranking rather than the “very safe” ranking held by many other countries.
Topping the list was Iceland, followed by Singapore, Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland – all of which were deemed “very safe.”
Twelve of the 15 safest countries are in Europe, with the remaining three in Asia, namely Singapore, Bhutan, and Qatar. European countries comprise 30 of the 50 safest places in the world. Ukraine and Russia were at the bottom of European rankings due to their ongoing war. France ranked 34th out of 37 European countries due to “the terrorist threat, which is still very present in the country.”
Canada scored 40.03 on the Travel Safety Index, placing it in the “safe” category.
The index rates countries on a scale of 0 (very safe) to 100 (extremely dangerous). The score is calculated based on an assessment of natural disasters, violence in society, involvement in armed conflict (internal or external), health infrastructure, and militarization.
Countries deemed “very safe” are those with a score of 30 or less. Countries deemed “safe” fall between a score of 30 and 45. “Unsafe” countries have scores ranging from 45 to 60. “Dangerous” countries are those with scores of 60 or more.
The most dangerous country to travel to in the world in 2024, according to HelloSafe, is the Philippines, scoring 82.32. Following the Philippines are Colombia, Mexico, India, and Russia.
“The 15 least safe countries in the world include many theatres of conflict, both old and new, which often combine with high natural risks,” reads the report.
For the three most dangerous Latin American countries, high homicide rates, militarization, and internally displaced persons were cited as reasons for their low rankings.
The United States is the 14th most dangerous country to travel to in 2024, according to HelloSafe, with a score of 59.47, only 0.53 points away from falling into the “dangerous” category.
The data cited in creating HelloSafe’s index was pulled from various UN agencies, the World Bank, and various international research bodies.
