The U.S. Didn’t Make the 2026 Safest Places to Visit List — Here’s Who Did

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When people travel abroad for leisure, safety is usually one of the first things they consider. Most travelers probably aren’t planning trips to places experiencing active conflict or political instability, such as Haiti, Ukraine, or Sudan.

Safety perceptions also aren’t fixed. A country that feels secure at one point in time can become riskier as circumstances change — and destinations once seen as dangerous can stabilize. Because of that, a number of organizations regularly track how safe different countries are for foreign visitors.

One of those organizations is Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, a company that sells travel insurance. Since risk directly affects pricing, the company closely monitors global safety conditions. A trip to Russia, for example, would generally be considered higher risk — and more expensive to insure — than a trip to Canada.

That focus on risk has led Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection to publish annual rankings of the world’s safest countries to visit since 2018. And in its newly released list for 2026, one result stands out:

The United States didn’t make the top 15.

Here’s the list

According to survey data collected by the company, travelers felt safest visiting the Netherlands over the past five years. Australia ranked second, followed by Austria in third. The rest of the top 10, in order, are Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Japan, and Ireland.

Their full list of the 15 safest countries for 2026 is:

1. Netherlands
2. Australia
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. Canada
6. New Zealand
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Japan
10. Ireland
11. Belgium
12. Portugal
13. France
14. United Kingdom
15. Denmark

To produce the final rankings, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection combined its own survey results with data from outside sources to calculate a weighted safety score for each country. Only travelers who had visited countries the company considers generally safe were allowed to rate them. The rankings also incorporate the Global Peace Index, Numbeo data (which calculates safety rates), and GeoSure Global‘s city-level safety scores.

Travelers who ranked the Netherlands highest cited its strong health infrastructure, safety for female travelers, and acceptance of diverse visitors. Many also noted that visitors to major cities like Amsterdam should stay alert for cyclists (we just visited Amsterdam for the first time – I know, I know…we should have gone MUCH sooner – and YES on the bike riders! It was almost as bad as crossing the street in Vietnam!).

Australia’s high ranking was attributed to its low crime rate, stable political system, and strict gun control laws. Travelers are advised to familiarize themselves with Australia’s customs regulations, including what they are and are not allowed to bring into the country, as well as its strict animal quarantine requirements.

Comparison to past years

In the company’s 2025 rankings, Iceland was named the safest country to visit, followed by Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Switzerland. That same year, the Netherlands ranked much lower, coming in at No. 14.

Here’s what 2025’s ranking looked like:

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

And 2024’s:

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

2023’s:

1. Netherlands
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Australia
5. Norway
6. Canada
7. Germany
8. Sweden
9. Switzerland
10. New Zealand
11. Spain
12. Ireland
13. United Arab Emirates
14. United Kingdom
15. Belgium

Note that the United States wasn’t listed in any of those years, either (anyone surprised? Bueller? Bueller?). In fact, the United States has NEVER made Berkshire Hathaway’s list of the 15 safest countries since it began in 2018.

We really should work on that…

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary