Travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) today released the findings of its 12th annual State of Travel Insurance (SOTI) Safest Destinations report, the widely trusted research project examining how U.S. travelers view travel safety and travel insurance for the coming year.

For 2027, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia emerged as the safest countries to visit, while Montreal, Zurich and Amsterdam claimed the top three spots among the world’s safest cities. The annual report provides travelers with a data-driven perspective on how global destinations compare on an array of safety considerations as they plan their future trips.

BHTP has canvassed Americans’ attitudes toward travel safety since 2016, adding annual destination safety rankings in 2018. Each year, the research polls a large group of American travelers about their firsthand travel experiences over the past five years, also addressing a range of safety concerns including terrorism, health concerns, the safety of underrepresented groups and weather emergencies. These ratings are augmented with additional external indices and information to calculate a weighted composite score representing each country’s overall safety.

Top 15 Safest Countries of 2027:

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

Top 15 Safest Cities of 2027:

  1. Montreal
  2. Zurich
  3. Amsterdam
  4. Tokyo
  5. Reykjavik
  6. Oslo
  7. Singapore
  8. Venice, Italy
  9. Sydney
  10. Honolulu
  11. Dublin
  12. Copenhagen
  13. Barcelona
  14. San Francisco
  15. Paris

Canada made the biggest move among the top three safest countries, rising from fifth place last year to claim the No. 1 spot, while New Zealand climbed from sixth to second. Australia, which held the No. 2 spot for the past two years, rounds out this year’s top three. Elsewhere in the rankings, Japan jumped from ninth to fifth, while the Netherlands fell from first to ninth. Among cities, Montreal made an especially notable debut at No. 1 as the safest city for 2027, followed by Zurich, which moved from third to second. Amsterdam also rose one spot to third, while Reykjavik fell from first to fifth.

“Travelers are navigating a more complicated landscape, with global uncertainty, higher prices and other concerns shaping how and where they travel,” said Carol Mueller, Head of Marketing. “Yet this year’s rankings show that when the world feels less predictable, travelers continue to look to destinations they know and trust. Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand remain well represented among the safest countries and cities, reinforcing the idea that while the travel landscape may change, the destinations travelers rely on for a sense of safety can remain remarkably consistent.”

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. This year, BHTP broadened the sources informing its weighted methodology to take newer external measures into account. The lists of the world’s safest countries and cities were created using an index that synthesizes results from sources including the World Health Organization, the Global Peace Index, Numbeo, Economis, the Equaldex Equality Index, the Global Terrorism Index, State Department safety ratings, and GeoSure Global. Past rankings also are factored in.

Click here to read more on the safest countries ranking and here to read more on safest cities. To request a full report, members of the media can email the contact below.

About the State of Travel Insurance

State of Travel Insurance, a joint project of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) and Polymath Research + Marketing (PRM), is the longest-running and most trusted research project tracking U.S. travelers’ attitudes toward travel safety and travel insurance. State of Travel Insurance has been conducted since 2016 and continues to provide category-leading research on key travel issues. This year’s survey involved a total of 2,784 travelers who were surveyed by PRM from July 14 – 28, 2026.

About Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) is a registered trademark and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, a leader in commercial property, casualty, liability and specialty lines insurance. Created under the Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection trade name is the ExactCare® line of travel insurance, WaveCare®, AdrenalineCare®, LuxuryCare® and other travel-related protections. The ExactCare® products are provided by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company. Visit bhtp.com for more information.

About Polymath Research + Marketing

Polymath Research + Marketing (PRM) is a full-service market-research and marketing agency that specializes in crafting custom research and content to help organizations reach their business and marketing goals. PRM currently services firms in insurance, travel, sports, and manufacturing industries, and provides research and content support to several top agencies. To learn more visit www.polymathpower.com.

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