The Safest Places To Travel In 2025, According To A New Report

What are the safest places to travel in 2025? A new report from International SOS—a leading security and health risk services company—offers key insights and practical guidance for travelers navigating an increasingly unpredictable world.

International SOS recently released its annual Risk Map 2025, which predicts what the coming year will hold—from the safest countries in the world to the riskiest ones, plus the biggest issues shaping the travel landscape.

International SOS’s Risk Map assesses risks in four key areas: security, medical, climate and mental health risks. Countries are broken down into five levels of risk, ranging from insignificant to extreme, depending on the category. This year’s map also incorporates a more granular analysis, offering insights into over 1,000 cities worldwide and the key factors driving risks, including conflict, crime, infrastructure and access to healthcare.

Compare these results to last year’s report from International SOS, and you’ll notice a world grappling with many issues. According to International SOS, 65% of senior risk professionals believe risks have increased over the past year, with 69% predicting significant impacts from geopolitical challenges in 2025.

Safest Places To Travel: Safest Countries

So where should you travel in 2025 for peace of mind? As in previous years, Scandinavian countries top International SOS’s list of safest destinations, including Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Finland. These countries consistently rank high due to a combination of low crime rates, effective government policies and excellent emergency services. Iceland has also been named the safest country in the world in other reports, due to its low violent crime rates, absence of political unrest and excellent emergency infrastructure.

Switzerland also makes the list of safest countries, thanks to its political stability and low levels of violence. Smaller countries like Slovenia, Luxembourg and Greenland round out the group of places with “insignificant” security risks—more proof that stable governance and strong infrastructure are key to creating safe travel environments.

Island nations such as Cape Verde, Seychelles and the Marshall Islands are also standout destinations for safety. Cape Verde is celebrated for its political stability and low crime rates, while the Seychelles combines a welcoming culture with a tranquil environment. The Marshall Islands, with its remote location, offers a peaceful escape for travelers.

Safest Places To Travel: Riskiest Countries

At the other end of the spectrum are the countries where risk runs high. Countries like Libya and Afghanistan remain among the riskiest destinations due to ongoing conflict, weak governance and a lack of infrastructure to manage security threats. In sub-Saharan Africa, places like Somalia and the Central African Republic are characterized by instability, high crime rates and fragile governments.

“Geopolitical tensions have been the most prominent trigger, with changes to risk ratings for locations such as Sudan and Lebanon, where the intensity and expansion of conflict now impact more population centers and have pushed the overall risk rating up,” Sally Llewellyn, global security director at International SOS, said in a statement.

Some other places that International SOS has earmarked include Syria, Yemen and the Sahel, where instability is worsening and external actors are propping up struggling governments. In Venezuela, the authoritarian rule continues to drive emigration, while Bolivia faces growing instability due to its declining economy. And the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains a stalemate, with neither side gaining ground. Reduced Western aid and record Russian defense spending will likely shape the conflict’s trajectory in 2025.

Several other places had increases in security risk ratings due to crime trends and increased social unrest. This includes South Africa, where the risk went from medium to high for the city of Johannesburg and eThekwini (which includes the city of Durban). In Mexico, growing cartel activity raised concerns for certain regions. Escalating social tensions in Kenya similarly led to increased risks. New Caledonia went from low to medium, based on impacts like social unrest, economic decline and related crime. And the Philippines, Thailand and Laos also had changes in risk ratings, due to reductions in militancy.

International SOS didn’t decrease security risk ratings for any country in 2025.

Safest Places To Travel: Medical Risks

Access to quality healthcare is another big consideration for travelers. For 2025, International SOS’s list of lowest medical risk destinations includes countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and much of Europe. These places benefit from healthcare infrastructure, access to essential medicines and reliable emergency services.

At the other end of the spectrum, countries like Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia are rated as having very high medical risks. The reason? Limited healthcare access, insufficient resources and the prevalence of infectious diseases create significant challenges in these regions, which travelers should be aware of before planning a visit.

Two countries with notable changes in medical risk this year are Bolivia (which went from medium to high) and Libya (which went from extreme to high). “Changes to medical risks are based on factors including the standard and access to healthcare facilities, availability of medicines and the prevalence of infections and diseases,” Dr. Katherine O’Reilly, regional medical director at International SOS said in a statement.

Safest Places To Travel: Climate Risks

The 2025 Risk Map also highlights the growing impact of climate change in travel planning, looking at the countries best equipped to handle its impacts. Scandinavian countries once again lead the way in minimizing climate-related risks. The reason: proactive environmental policies and resilient infrastructure.

Other low climate risk destinations include New Zealand and the UAE, both of which are investing heavily in sustainability and adaptation measures and leveraging new technologies such as “digital twins” to improve land and water management, making them leaders in sustainability and adaptation.

The places with the worst climate impacts include several Africa countries (Mali, Chad, Ethiopia), plus vulnerable places like the Philippines and India. According to International SOS, these already fragile areas are impacted by resource scarcity and extreme weather events.

The 2025 Risk Map also highlights how innovation is playing a role in minimizing climate-related risks. For instance, the U.N.’s “Early Warnings for All” initiative aims to protect global populations from hazardous weather events through timely forecasting.

Safest Places To Travel: Mental Health Risks

Mental health is another major concern for travelers. The 2025 Risk Map evaluates countries based on rates of mental health challenges like anxiety, depression and stress-related illnesses. It also highlights how global factors like disinformation, political stress and climate anxiety are amplifying mental health challenges.

In countries like Vietnam, cultural attitudes and supportive social structures contribute to relatively low mental health risks. Similarly, Scandinavian countries like Iceland and Norway score lower on mental health risks due to their strong healthcare systems, societal well-being and emphasis on work-life balance.

Meanwhile, countries like the United States rank higher on the mental health risk scale, reflecting broader societal challenges, including stress, burnout and limited access to mental health support in certain regions. These challenges are particularly acute in urban areas where stress levels are highest.

Read on for lists of some of the safest countries to travel (based on places with the lowest “insignificant” security risk) and the riskiest countries to travel (places with the highest “extreme” security risk). Countries are listed alphabetically. For additional insights, you can also check out International SOS’s full Risk Outlook 2025 report here.

The Safest Countries To Travel In 2025

• Cape Verde
• Denmark
• Finland
• Greenland
• Iceland
• Marshall Islands
• Norway
• San Merino
• Seychelles
• Slovenia
• Switzerland

The Riskiest Countries To Travel In 2025

• Afghanistan
• Central African Republic
• Iraq
• Libya
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Syria
• Ukraine
• Yemen

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