The UK has not made the top 10 list of the safest countries for tourists, according to a new study. Insurance company Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) has once again released its annual analysis of countries based on safety for tourists, factoring in several criteria to determine a final ranking. Each year, the firm polls people who have recently travelled abroad and asks them about their experiences in those countries.
It shines a particular light on women travellers, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those who consider themselves to be in marginalised groups. It then combines those results with stats from the Global Peace Index and other similar data sets. Last year, Iceland proved to bethe safest, based on these factors. However, it was knocked off the top spot by another small European country whose capital is a popular destination for city breaks. On the list, the UK doesn't appear in the top ten.
While the UK ranked 14th on the 2025 list of the safest countries to visit for tourists, the Netherlands took the top spot. Its capital, Amsterdam, is a popular city-break destination for many Brits.
Being a short flight from airports like Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London Gatwick, and London Heathrow, Amsterdam is an accessible city full of rich history and famous tourist attractions. The Netherlands is also home to visit-worthy cities such as Rotterdam and The Hague.
BHTP said that its findings revealed the Netherlands to be a "peace-loving place". Of those who took part in the poll, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of colour all reported feeling particularly welcome there.
When looking just at European countries, it is followed by Austria in second place, which is a popular country to visit thanks to its historically rich and vibrant capital, Vienna. Making up the rest of the top five are Australia, Austria and Iceland.
The UK has been knocked one spot compared to the 2024 list, when it was at number 14. The top five safest countries on that list, in order, were Iceland, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Switzerland.
The study also broke it down in terms of different safety factors. For example, the list appears slightly different when focusing solely on safety from violent crime and terrorism.
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