International SOS has published a map of dangerous and safe countries to travel to in 2024

International consulting company in the field of medical and insurance services International SOS has published an annual “Risk Map”, which shows which countries are safe to travel to next year and which ones should be avoided, taking into account military conflicts, humanitarian and natural disasters, the negative consequences of climate change and other factors. The safest countries to travel in 2024 are five countries in Northern and Central Europe, while the least safe are some countries in Africa and West and South Asia.

Next year, travel will be safest to countries in Northern and Central Europe, while travel to some countries in Africa and South Asia will be unsafe. This conclusion was made in the annual report international consulting company International SOS about existing health and safety risks in different countries. The report includes “Map risks”, which allows you to assess the degree of safety of travel to a specific country in the world, taking into account health risks and the level of medical care; security risks taking into account military conflicts, epidemics and pandemics, protest activity, crime rates, etc.; risks associated with the consequences of climate change, that is, possible humanitarian and natural disasters; and also taking into account the mental health factor in different countries (the number of cases of mental disorders, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders in the population).

International SOS notes that the category of risks associated with climate change, included this year for the first time, as the trend towards an increase in the number of dangerous situations due to rising global temperatures has become apparent. Experts note that in 2023 there were 80% more warnings about medically dangerous situations in the world than in 2022. And as you can see on the map, the most disadvantaged countries in this category are most countries in Africa, as well as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. The climate change situation is best in the countries of Northern and Central Europe, as well as in the UAE and Kazakhstan. Russia is classified as a country with a low risk of climate change impacts along with the USA, Canada, Western European countries and Australia.

High health risks and problems with medical care International SOS experts note in more than ten countries in Africa, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea. The most favorable situation in this regard is in Canada, the USA, Western and Central Europe, Japan, Turkey and a number of other countries. In this category, Russia is among the countries with variable risks: for example, in large cities, doctors and ambulance services are usually available and it is possible to purchase prescription drugs, but outside the cities these services may not be available.

From point of view security Experts see a high level of risks in Libya, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. The most insignificant risks of this kind are in Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Slovenia. Russia is included in the group of countries with an average level of such risks, along with Brazil, India, Mexico, Egypt, etc.

Mental health situation population seems somewhat unexpected. The highest proportion of various types of mental disorders – 17.5-20% of the total population – is observed in Iran, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Greenland, Australia and New Zealand. The lowest share is 7.5–10% in Vietnam. In Russia, this share is 10–12.5%, and a similar figure in most countries of the world.

Taking into account all these four categories, International SOS experts have compiled an overall rating of countries according to the degree of safety of travel to them in 2024. The top 5 safest countries included Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and Denmark. The five most unsafe include South Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Somalia.

Alena Miklashevskaya