The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert for Europe through September, citing the potential for large summer crowds at places like tourist attractions and transportation hubs that “extremists continue to focus on.”
But in a world plagued by deadly attacks, political and economic polarization and humanitarian crises, Europe seems to be the haven of choice for many.
According to data from the 2017 Best Countries rankings — a characterization of 80 countries based on a survey of more than 21,000 people from four regions — Switzerland is perceived to be the safest country in the world.
European countries take seven of the top 10 spots, while New Zealand, Canada and Australia round out the list.
The U.S. — where homicide rates are seven times greater than those in other developed nations and gun-related homicides are 25 times greater — is 30th on the Best Countries ranking of safe countries, 10 spots worse than its place on last year’s ranking of 60 countries.
Battling long-standing separatist movements, the Islamic State and, most recently, an attempted coup, Turkey fell a drastic 34 spots from last year to No. 73. The country, which has witnessed an increased government crackdown against dissent, also is considered to be the least politically stable.
Israel and Colombia are considered the least safe countries, each dropping about 20 spots from last year’s ranking.
Here are the safest countries in the world, ranked by perception:
| Country | Best Countries Overall Rank |
| 1. Switzerland | 1 |
| 2. New Zealand | 14 |
| 3. Norway | 10 |
| 4. Denmark | 12 |
| 5. Canada | 2 |
| 6. Australia | 8 |
| 7. Finland | 13 |
| 8. Netherlands | 11 |
| 9. Sweden | 6 |
| 10. Luxembourg | 17 |
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The 10 Safest Countries, Ranked by Perception originally appeared on usnews.com
