Canada claims the top position in global travel safety rankings, while Montreal emerges as the world's safest city for visitors.

Canada has secured first place in the 2027 World's Safest Places ranking, moving up four positions from the previous year.

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) released its annual findings on October 28, 2026, placing Canada ahead of New Zealand, Australia and Iceland.

Canada received an overall safety score of 82.47, reflecting strong results across several categories, including personal security, health and protection against crime.

Canada Makes a Remarkable Jump

Canada ranked fifth in the 2026 report, behind the Netherlands, Australia, Austria and Iceland.

Its rise to first place in the 2027 edition marks a significant improvement in how travellers assess the country's safety.

New Zealand secured second place with 81.31 points, followed by Australia with 80.82 and Iceland with 78.85.

Japan completed the top five with 78.73 points.

Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal occupied the remaining positions in the top 10.

Canada Leads in Safety for Diverse Travellers

Canada earned first place in the category measuring safety for women, LGBTQIA+ travellers and people of colour.

The country also performed strongly in other areas, ranking second for health measures, protection against violent crime and safety from terrorism.

The report considers five major areas when evaluating destinations: personal safety for different traveller groups, violent crime, terrorism, transportation safety and health measures.

Canada's performance across these categories helped secure its overall lead.

Montreal Named World's Safest City

Canada's strong performance extended beyond the national rankings.

Montreal claimed first place in the accompanying safest cities ranking, earning an overall score of 82.18.

The Quebec city made a particularly impressive improvement after placing 16th in the previous year's report.

Its rise highlights the positive safety ratings Canadian destinations received from international travellers.

How the Safety Rankings Are Calculated

The annual report relies primarily on feedback from American travellers who visited the countries they evaluated within the previous five years.

Researchers combine these responses with international information covering peace, crime, equality, terrorism and public health.

The final calculation considers six safety sub-category scores alongside external information.

However, travellers' survey responses carry the greatest weight in determining the final rankings.

Although the published list features only 15 countries, the survey collected safety ratings for at least 31 destinations.

Canada Maintains Its Long-Term Safety Reputation

Canada's latest achievement strengthens its position among destinations consistently recognized for traveller safety.

The country belongs to an eight-member Safe Travel Hall of Fame, reserved for nations averaging a top-10 position since the rankings began in 2018.

Researchers attributed Canada's first-place finish to its strong survey results for diverse travellers and favourable international safety indicators.

The findings highlight Canada's continued standing as a leading destination for travellers who prioritize security, inclusion and well-being.

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