If you’re new to traveling internationally, the unknowns can often make it feel like a scary proposition, and feeling safe is a critical piece of the travel experience. But if you’re ready to get out there and start confidently collecting passport stamps, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has a new study you need to see. 

In October, the company released its annual report showcasing Earth’s “safest” countries. As for which nation came in at No. 1 as the safest place to travel in 2025, that honor went to Iceland.

To determine which countries rank as the safest, the company used its own data, which it collected since 2016, surveying American travelers on their “attitudes toward travel safety.” To get specific, the team explained it asks travelers where they’ve traveled in the last five years and to rate them on perceived safety. It then adds to those ratings with other indices, including data from the Global Peace Index and Numbeo and an average of the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities in each country. Each destination gets a weighted total for its ranking. For 2025, Iceland came out on top.

“Over time, we’ve seen a lot of things change – the pandemic not least among them – and seen generations come and go, but as you’ll see from this year’s list, we’ve also seen a lot of things stay the same,” the team wrote in its findings. “Just like a house with good bones, a destination has a good support structure when it comes to safety. The things that make Switzerland a safe destination for travelers are going to continue to make it safe for travelers a decade from now.” 

According to the report, Iceland moved up from the No. 9 spot in 2024, as it only has “one major road” and is “never crowded.” And, as it noted, “Logic dictates that it’s hard to have traffic accidents if you don’t have traffic.” 

It did, however, add one caveat that you need to look out for on a vacation in Iceland. “Volcanoes. Iceland is a volcanic island, and volcanic islands sometimes have volcanic eruptions. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more languorous about it than the Icelanders.” 

Other nations that joined Iceland at the top of the list include Australia at No. 2, followed by Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Japan, and Denmark, rounding out the top 10. See the full list of the safest nations, according to its survey, at bhtp.com.