LUND – November 05, 2026 -- Fifteen countries moved to a higher travel risk level over the past 12 months and six improved, according to the Risk Map 2027 released by Safeture and travel risk intelligence provider Riskline. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates each rose two levels, from Moderate to High.
Middle East records the sharpest deterioration
Saudi Arabia and Jordan moved from Medium to High, and Oman from Moderate to Medium. Iran climbed from High to Extreme, the top level on Riskline's five-step scale (Low, Moderate, Medium, High, Extreme). The Gulf states are major hubs for business travel, aviation and regional operations, so the reclassifications affect corporate travel policies directly.
Germany and Finland leave the lowest risk tier
Germany, Finland, Cyprus and Greenland each moved from Low to Moderate. Europe still hosts several of the map's safest destinations, including Switzerland, Iceland, Slovenia and Denmark, plus the cities of Oslo, Vienna, Zagreb and Zurich.
Six countries improve, three more slip into higher tiers
Bangladesh, Cameroon, Mozambique and Nepal improved from High to Medium. El Salvador and the Maldives moved from Medium to Moderate. In the opposite direction, South Sudan rose from High to Extreme, Guinea-Bissau from Medium to High, and Cuba from Moderate to Medium.
Riskline analysts name ten safest and ten least safe countries and cities
The selection is alphabetical and not a ranking. Riskline's risk levels draw on security, crime, health and environmental risks, and access to medical care.
- Safest countries: Bhutan, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia and Switzerland.
- Least safe countries: Colombia, Haiti, Iran, Myanmar, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.
- Safest cities: Bandar Seri Begawan, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Oslo, Ottawa, San Diego, Vienna, Wellington, Zagreb and Zurich.
- Least safe cities: Bamako, Goma, Guayaquil, Kabul, Port-au-Prince, Port Moresby, Quetta, Sana'a, San Pedro Sula and Tehran.
Ottawa is the only city to appear among the safest for a second consecutive year. Kabul, Quetta, Port Moresby, Goma and Port-au-Prince remain among the least safe, joined this year by Bamako, Guayaquil, Sana'a, San Pedro Sula and Tehran.
Safeture says duty of care needs current intelligence
The publishers stress that the map cannot replace an organization's own risk assessment. Country-level threats differ from individual risk, which depends on a traveler's location, activities and the support their employer can provide.
Jonas Brorson, Chief Marketing Officer at Safeture, said that "duty of care cannot rely on last year's assumptions," pointing to the two-level jumps in the Gulf and the downgrades for Germany and Finland. Safeture and Riskline have worked together since October 2022, and the map is free to download.