According to Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP), Canada ranks as the world’s safest country for travel in 2024. The report was released in late 2023. 

BHTP notes that the overall rankings are based on an average of all State of Travel Insurance research measures. Well, this combines with six sub-category scores as the basis for the rankings. 

In addition, BHTP notes that it balances its surveyed ratings with other indices & information, including the Global Peace Index & the State Department’s travel safety ratings. BHTP also leverages the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities in every nation. 

Together, BHTP utilizes this variety of measures to calculate a weighted score that reflects every nation’s overall safety. 

Canada’s Ranking Is Up Five Spots From A Year Ago

Up from sixth place in BHTP’s rankings last year, Canada ranks as the world’s safest country for travel in 2024. According to the report, key reasons for Canada’s high ranking include cold weather & low population density, thus making it safe for travel. 

Further, each of the top 15 countries in BHTP’s rankings was granted a dedicated section in this year’s report, which included a section titled ‘What you need to watch out for.’ 

For Canada, this section identified wildfires as an area of concern for travelers, noting that ‘Canada’s plethora of forests were seemingly all burning, which has reduced air quality in major Canadian cities. This made travel to Canada challenging for people with respiratory conditions.’ 

Still, the quote included in Canada’s dedicated section of the report sums travel safety across this way, stating that as travel destinations go, it doesn’t get much safer in Canada. Violent crime is comparatively low & there is a low incidence of gun-related crimes. 

Breaking Down Canada’s Rankings By Sub-Category 

BHTP’s report utilizes the following dimensions to produce an overall ranking of the safest countries for travel: 

  • Safety from violent crime 
  • Safety from terrorism 
  • Transportation safety
  • Health measures
  • Safety for groups 

Notably, Canada ranks as the world’s safest country for travel & all other sub-categories. 

BHTP notes that transportation safety includes countries with either well-developed road & transportation systems or a limited need to travel far. 

BHTP Rankings By Income & Age 

BHTP notes that the survey respondents for the 2023-2024 version of these rankings had wildly different perceptions of the world’s safest countries depending upon their income & age. 

Still, in most cases, according to these sub-groups, Canada remained in the top four safest nations for travel. 

On the contrary, the following indicates how Canada’s place in BHTP’s rankings would have differed if presented based on the responses from certain respondent groups. 

  • Millennials 

Among millennials who responded to BHTP’s survey, Canada ranked fourth in overall travel safety behind Norway, the UK, & Switzerland. 

  • Gen Z

Among members of Gen Z who reacted to BHTP’s survey, Canada remained number one in overall travel safety. 

  • Respondents With A Household Income Over $200,000

Among BHTP survey respondents who fell into this household income category, Canada ranked second in overall travel safety, behind only Portugal. 

  • Respondents Spending More Than $250,000 Per Year On Travel 

Among BHTP survey respondents who fell into this travel spending category, Canada ranked sixth in overall travel safety behind Hungary, the Netherlands, the UK, the Bahamas, & Portugal. 

  • ‘Mature’ Survey Respondents 

Although the report doesn’t specify the age that qualifies respondents as ‘mature,’ BHTP survey respondents who fell into this age group ranked Canada as the ninth safest country for travel. For this group of respondents, Canada ranked behind: 

  • Iceland 
  • South Korea
  • Sweden
  • Denmark
  • Japan
  • Norway
  • New Zealand
  • Ireland 

  • Parents 

For parents who responded to the survey, Canada remained number one in overall safety. 

  • LGBTQ+ Travelers 

BHTP survey respondents who identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community were the only sub-group of respondents who completely left Canada outside their top 10 safest nations for travel.