New research has revealed the safest countries to travel to, and Italy takes the top spot. 

The study by the student travel company Rustic Pathways analyzed multiple factors to find the safest countries for travel, including US State Department travel advisories, crime rates, healthcare quality, traffic safety, government effectiveness, and corruption levels. This was then compiled into an index to determine which countries are truly the safest for teen travelers.

The ten safest countries to travel to

Rank	Country	Overall Safety Score (out of 100)	Travel Advisory Level	Homicide Rate (per 100,000 people)	Traffic Fatalities (per 100,000 people)	Healthcare Spending per person (USD)	Corruption Index
1	Italy	70.60	2	0.64	5.00	$4,675	54
2	United Kingdom	70.29	2	1.28	2.39	$6,266	71
3	New Zealand	68.35	1	1.22	6.59	$4,754	83
4	Iceland	68.16	1	1.07	2.43	$5,824	77
5	Canada	67.37	1	1.64	4.73	$6,443	75
6	Japan	66.78	1	0.18	2.65	$4,676	71
7	Australia	66.09	1	0.91	4.49	$6,488	77
8	Germany	65.55	2	0.94	3.33	$8,166	75
9	Spain	65.36	2	0.52	3.51	$4,368	56
10	Greece	65.26	1	1.07	7.21	$2,861	49

The study found that Italy is the safest country to travel to, based on the country’s low crime rates and good healthcare access. The country has a homicide rate of just 0.64 per 100,000 people, and while Italy has a Travel Advisory Level 2, its other high-scoring factors bring it to the top spot.

The United Kingdom comes in second on the list, with a low traffic fatality rate of 2.39 per 100,000 people and good healthcare spending at $6,266 per capita. The country has Travel Advisory Level 2 but maintains strong safety metrics with a homicide rate of 1.28 per 100,000 people and high government safety scores.

Third on the list is New Zealand, which scores well with a Travel Advisory Level 1 and a corruption index score of 83. The country has a homicide rate of 1.22 per 100,000 and healthcare spending of $4,754 per capita. However, it has higher traffic fatality rates at 6.59 per 100,000 people compared to other top countries.

Iceland takes fourth place on the list. The country has one of the lowest homicide rates at 1.07 per 100,000 people, low traffic fatality rates at 2.43 per 100,000, and a Travel Advisory Level 1. Iceland also scores well on corruption measures with an index score of 77 out of 100.

Rounding out the top five is Canada, which has a Travel Advisory Level 1 and excellent healthcare spending at $6,443 per capita. The country has moderate crime rates with 1.64 homicides per 100,000 people and maintains strong safety metrics across other categories with a corruption index score of 75.

Speaking on the findings, Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways, said:

“The analysis shows that the safest countries to travel to combine low crime rates, stable governments, strong healthcare, and access to it, as the main factors. Countries on this list have an average homicide rate of 1.10 per 100,000 people, compared to global averages of 5.76 per 100,000 – making them over 5 times safer than the global average.

“Safety is the foundation of good travel experiences and often dictates where we choose to travel to. When you travel to these destinations, you can focus on enjoying your trip rather than worrying about safety concerns, and it is interesting to see how prevalent European countries are on the list, indicating that this may be the best place for teen travellers this summer.”