In a recent analysis conducted by French travel agency Voyage Avec Nous, and data firm Flashs, Norway has topped the chart as the safest holiday destination in Europe. This analysis was structured using five criteria: health, security, road deaths, robberies, and intentional homicides. The data for these criteria came from the EuroHealth Consumer Index, Global Peace Index 2021, and Eurostat. The areas that tipped the scales to Norway were Norway’s security, as well as low levels of road deaths and murders.
In 2020, Norway recorded 93 traffic fatalities, which is about 2 per 100,000 inhabitants. To put this into perspective, the United States’ traffic-related fatalities amounted to 38,700 or 12.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Regarding health, Norway took the bronze medal in the most recent EuroHealth Consumer Index Publication (EHCI). Its top position is attributed to its perfect score in the “Patient rights and information” category and its respectable score in the “Outcomes” category. The only countries that scored higher than Norway were Switzerland and the Netherlands. Historically, Norway has been steadily on the rise in the EHCI ranking so it will be interesting to see what the next report reveals.
The countries that came in second and third as the safest holiday destinations in Europe were Switzerland and Slovenia, the latter of which came as a surprise; its success was attributed to low robbery and murder rates and overall good security. On the other end of things, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Lithuania were ranked as the three least safe countries in the list of 28 European countries.
Norway’s ranking is great news for the country as tourism is an important contribution to its gross domestic product. The news also comes at a good time as it may encourage more tourism to Norway as the coronavirus situation is dealt with. Mark your calendars everyone, Norway is the place to visit.