Mexico among most dangerous countries for travellers: Study

Mexico may be a popular travel destination for many Canadians, but it’s also one of the most dangerous countries in 2024, according a study by an international insurance comparision website.

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HelloSafe rated countries based on data it collected and found that Mexico ranked third, after the Philippines and Colombia, among the least safe countries in the world in the company’s index of safety.

The index assessed countries based 35 criteria grouped into five categories: risk of natural disasters, violence in society, involvement in armed conflict, health infrastructure and militarization of the country.

Rated out of 100, the index assigns 100 to the least safe countries and 0 to the safest.

The Philippines topped the list as the least safe country with an index of 82.32 points, followed by Colombia with 79.21 points and Mexico with 78.42 points.

According to the index, the three safest destinations are Iceland (18.23 points), Singapore (19.99 points) and Denmark (20.05 points).

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Of the index’s safest countries, 12 are in Europe, with Bhutan, Qatar and Portugal rounding out the top 15.

France, host of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, is among the least safe countries to visit in Europe, ranking 80th in the world and 34th in Europe with 36.00 points.

Due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both countries are the most dangerous countries in Europe with 75.65 points and 48.42 points, respectively.

Canada is considered “safe” by the index with 40.03 points, while our neighbours south of the border ranked 14th among the most dangerous countries in the world with 59.47 points.

Data collected from the HelloSafe index are taken from official reference sources, including various United Nations agencies, the World Bank and international research bodies.

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