The safest (and most dangerous) travel destinations
Here, you'll find a countdown of the 37 countries Americans travel to most, ranked on safety and security, based on data from the World Economic Forum and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The list covers a broad range, from very safe to extremely dangerous.
And in case you were curious, America is the 55th safest country for travelers.
37. Iceland
Iceland has an extremely low homicide rate and a high safety rating with the World Economic Forum, with only Finland scoring higher this year.
36. Switzerland
Switzerland has a very low homicide rate, and a very low rate of terror-related incidents.
35. Hong Kong
Hong Kong, a largely autonomous special administrative region of China, also has a very low homicide rate.
34. Singapore
Singapore has little crime and its rate of terror-related incidents is very low.
33. United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates ranks highest among the Middle Eastern countries for safety... with one exception, Oman.
32. Japan
Japan has a very low homicide rate but a higher rate of terror-related incidents.
31. Austria
Austria also has a very low rate of terror-related incidents.
30. Spain
Spain has a low rate of terror-related incidents and a very low homicide rate, according to the World Economic Forum data.
29. Czech Republic
In 2018, the U.S. State Department issued a security alert to U.S. travelers to this country, citing terror concerns. However, in 2019, the department advised only "normal" precautions when traveling there.
28. Australia
Australia has a relatively low homicide rate, but the World Economic Forum rates it as having a moderately high risk of terror-related incidents.
27. Canada
Canada's homicide rate is a relatively low. The country is the second most popular destination for U.S. tourists.
26. Netherlands
Malta, Norway and Slovenia have higher safety rankings from the WEF, but they aren't as popular with Americans as Holland is.
25. Taiwan
New Zealand is a safer Asia-Pacific country, per the WEF, but Americans travel to Taiwan more often.
24. Ireland
Ireland has a low homicide rate, but a higher level of terror-related incidents.
The World Economic Forum uses data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and Global Terrorism Database to determine the average number of terror attacks in each country.
23. South Korea
South Korea has a relatively low rate of terror-related incidents, but the threat of terrorism is considered very high.
22. Hungary
Police forces in Hungary are relatively unreliable, according to World Economic Forum findings.
21. Germany
Germany has a relatively high rate of terror-related incidents in the World Economic Forum ratings.
20. United Kingdom
The U.K. has a higher rate of terror-related incidents. It is the third-most traveled to country by U.S. tourists.
19. France
France is No. 51 on the World Economic Forum's list of 140 countries. This popular tourist destination has a relatively high rate of terror-related incidents. The U.S. State Department recommends visitors exercise increased caution.
18. Poland
Poland's police services are rated as relatively unreliable.
17. Vietnam
The World Economic Forum says Vietnam's police force is relatively unreliable.
16. China
China has a high rate of terror-related incidents. The country is the 10th-most popular with U.S. tourists. The U.S. State Department recommends increased caution "due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws and special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals."
15. Greece
Greece has a relatively high rate of terror-related incidents, but a very low homicide rate.
14. Israel
Israel has a high rate of terror-related incidents. The U.S. State Department recommends visitors exercise increased caution.
13. Italy
Italy has a relatively low homicide rate, but a high rate of terror-related incidents. The U.S. State Department recommends taking increased precautions.
12. Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a popular destination for U.S. eco-tourists. Overall, Costa Rica ranks No. 75 in the WEF's latest safety index of 140 nations.
11. Argentina
Argentina's police services are considered relatively unreliable.
10. Thailand
Thailand is poorly ranked in large part because of a high rate of terror-related incidents.
9. Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ranks as 117th out of 140 countries for safety on the World Economic Forum's list.
8. Peru
Peru has a relatively low homicide rate, but the reliability of the country's police services is also very low.
7. India
India has a high rate of terror-related incidents. The U.S. State Department recommends increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism, and advises Americans not to visit the state of Jammu and Kashmir or the India-Pakistan border.
6. Brazil
Brazil has a high homicide rate; in 2018, Brazil had a murder rate of 24.7 per 100,000 people.
5. Mexico
The U.S. State Department recommends visitors exercise increased caution here, and advises Americans not to visit the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas due to high crime.
4. Jamaica
Jamaica's homicide rate is one of the world's worst. The U.S. State Department recommends visitors exercise increased caution.
3. South Africa
South Africa's low safety score is largely due to a lack of reliability of their police services. The U.S. State Department recommends visitors exercise increased caution.
2. Colombia
The homicide rate in Colombia is about 25 per 100,000 residents.
1. Philippines
The Philippines is currently at the bottom of the World Economic Forum's safety list, largely because of a high rate of terror-related incidents and kidappings.
The U.S. State Department urges increased caution and warns Americans not to travel to the Sulu Archipelago or Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest.