Safest Countries for Families (2026)
October 10, 2026 — Rankings updated daily from 30+ data sources
Cite this rankingThe safest countries for families with children, ranked by health infrastructure, governance quality, and crime safety.
This ranking weights health and governance most heavily — 35% each — followed by crime (20%) and the country's overall safety score (10%). Reliable pediatric and emergency care, plus stable, trustworthy institutions, are what matter most when travelling with children. It reflects the underlying safety pillars only, not tourist infrastructure like childcare, theme parks or family resorts — see the full weighting on the Methodology page .
- 1 · Denmark · 8.8 Weakest: environment 8.2/10 Denmark scores 8.8/10 — health: 8.3/10, crime: 8.7/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 18 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 2 · Switzerland · 8.7 Weakest: environment 7.1/10 Switzerland scores 8.7/10 — health: 8.4/10, crime: 8.6/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 3 · Estonia · 8.6 Weakest: environment 7.4/10 Estonia scores 8.6/10 — health: 8.5/10, crime: 8.5/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 4 · Norway · 8.6 Weakest: environment 7.0/10 Norway scores 8.6/10 — health: 8.3/10, crime: 8.8/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 5 · Sweden · 8.5 Weakest: environment 7.0/10 Sweden scores 8.5/10 — health: 8.4/10, crime: 8.5/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 6 · Luxembourg · 8.7 Weakest: environment 8.0/10 Luxembourg scores 8.7/10 — health: 8.6/10, crime: 8.0/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 7 · Iceland · 8.9 Weakest: environment 8.3/10 Iceland scores 8.9/10 — health: 8.4/10, crime: 8.7/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 8 · Finland · 8.6 Weakest: environment 7.1/10 Finland scores 8.6/10 — health: 8.3/10, crime: 8.8/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 9 · Germany · 8.4 Weakest: environment 6.3/10 Germany scores 8.4/10 — health: 8.4/10, crime: 8.2/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 10 · Singapore · 8.7 Weakest: health 7.8/10 Singapore scores 8.7/10 — health: 7.8/10, crime: 8.6/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 11 · Latvia · 8.5 Weakest: environment 6.8/10 Latvia scores 8.5/10 — health: 8.5/10, crime: 8.3/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 12 · Czech Republic · 8.6 Weakest: environment 7.2/10 the Czech Republic scores 8.6/10 — health: 8.5/10, crime: 8.3/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 16 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 13 · Ireland · 8.7 Weakest: environment 7.6/10 Ireland scores 8.7/10 — health: 8.5/10, crime: 8.5/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 18 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 14 · New Zealand · 8.5 Weakest: environment 7.0/10 New Zealand scores 8.5/10 — health: 7.8/10, crime: 8.4/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 18 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 15 · Netherlands · 8.3 Weakest: environment 5.9/10 the Netherlands scores 8.3/10 — health: 8.2/10, crime: 8.5/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 20 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 16 · Australia · 8.4 Weakest: environment 6.6/10 Australia scores 8.4/10 — health: 8.0/10, crime: 8.2/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 18 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 17 · United Kingdom · 8.3 Weakest: environment 6.8/10 the United Kingdom scores 8.3/10 — health: 8.3/10, crime: 8.4/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 18 · Belgium · 8.4 Weakest: environment 6.8/10 Belgium scores 8.4/10 — health: 8.5/10, crime: 8.2/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 19 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 19 · Austria · 8.5 Weakest: environment 6.7/10 Austria scores 8.5/10 — health: 8.6/10, crime: 8.3/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 22 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 20 · Japan · 8.2 Weakest: environment 5.2/10 Japan scores 8.2/10 — health: 7.8/10, crime: 8.7/10 (the two pillars that matter most for family travel). Advisory consensus across 22 governments: exercise normal precautions.
- 21 · Slovenia · 8.5 Weakest: environment 6.8/10
- 22 · Canada · 8.3 Weakest: environment 6.3/10
- 23 · Portugal · 8.5 Weakest: environment 7.2/10
- 24 · Spain · 8.3 Weakest: environment 6.6/10
- 25 · France · 8.0 Weakest: environment 6.3/10
- 26 · Poland · 8.3 Weakest: environment 6.7/10
- 27 · South Korea · 8.1 Weakest: environment 5.4/10
- 28 · Lithuania · 8.4 Weakest: environment 7.0/10
- 29 · Italy · 8.1 Weakest: environment 6.2/10
- 30 · Malta · 8.4 Weakest: governance 6.9/10
- 31 · Cyprus · 8.1 Weakest: governance 7.2/10
- 32 · Croatia · 8.1 Weakest: environment 6.2/10
- 33 · Seychelles · 7.9 Weakest: crime 6.4/10
- 34 · Liechtenstein · 8.0 Weakest: crime 6.6/10
- 35 · Chile · 7.7 Weakest: environment 5.7/10
- 36 · Montenegro · 8.2 Weakest: governance 6.4/10
- 37 · Greece · 8.0 Weakest: governance 6.6/10
- 38 · Bhutan · 8.0 Weakest: environment 6.5/10
- 39 · Costa Rica · 7.6 Weakest: environment 6.5/10
- 40 · Maldives · 8.0 Weakest: governance 6.3/10
- 41 · Barbados · 8.0 Weakest: crime 7.0/10
- 42 · Slovakia · 8.0 Weakest: governance 5.9/10
- 43 · Fiji · 8.1 Weakest: governance 6.6/10
- 44 · United States · 7.5 Weakest: environment 5.8/10
- 45 · Uruguay · 7.8 Weakest: crime 6.7/10
- 46 · Vanuatu · 8.0 Weakest: governance 6.2/10
- 47 · Romania · 7.9 Weakest: governance 5.8/10
- 48 · Hungary · 8.0 Weakest: governance 5.6/10
- 49 · Mauritius · 7.9 Weakest: governance 6.6/10
- 50 · Qatar · 7.3 Weakest: environment 4.8/10
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the ranking of safest countries for families calculated?
It starts from the same 1-10 safety score — a weighted geometric mean of conflict (30%), crime (25%), health (20%), governance (15%) and environment (10%) — with particular relevance for the pillars families care about most: healthcare quality and low crime. Data is refreshed daily from 30+ public sources.
Which safety pillars matter most when travelling with children?
Health and crime are the most relevant pillars for family travel: reliable hospitals and pediatric care on one side, low rates of street crime and theft on the other. Countries at the top of this list score strongly on both.
Are the safest countries for families also the safest in general?
There is large overlap, but not always: a country can rank high overall yet have weaker healthcare infrastructure, which matters more with children. That is why checking the health and crime pillar scores on each country page is recommended.
Does a high rank mean a country has family-friendly tourist infrastructure?
No — this ranking only reflects the underlying safety pillars (health, governance, crime and the overall score), not tourist infrastructure like childcare, theme parks or family resorts. A strong health-pillar score is a reasonable proxy for care availability if a child needs medical attention, but check each country page for specifics before booking family activities.