21 November 2018 - According to the security specialists of the International SOS Company, who assign specific ratings to countries by assessing a range of health risks and mitigating factors, Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia are the most dangerous countries in the world, while Finland, Norway and Iceland are rated as the safest countries.
On the interactive map on this company’s website, you can find data for countries that are rated in three categories - safety, medical and road safety. Countries marked with dark red are the worst affected, while those rated as light green are the safest countries.
The medical factors assessed include infectious diseases, environmental factors, the standard and availability of local emergency medical and dental care, access to quality pharmaceutical supplies, the requirement for medical evacuation, in addition to cultural, language or administrative barriers. The travel security risk rating evaluates the threat posed to travellers and international assignees by political violence (including terrorism, insurgency, politically motivated unrest, and war), social unrest (including sectarian, communal and ethnic violence) as well as violent and petty crime. Other factors, such as the robustness of the transport infrastructure, the state of industrial relations, the effectiveness of the security and emergency services and the country’s susceptibility to natural disasters are also considered where they are of sufficient magnitude to impact the overall risk environment for travellers. Travel Security Risk Zones are areas within a country where the risks faced by travellers and international assignees are different from the country’s overall risk environment, usually necessitating a different level of preparation.
In Southeast Europe, Slovenia was declared the safest, while Kosovo is the least secure country. Comparing to the countries of the world, Slovenia is rated as a country with an “insignificant risk”, and Kosovo is a “medium risk” country. Montenegro, as well as Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia are all rated as low-risk countries.
In terms of medical security, Montenegro is a medium-risk country, which the International SOS Company explains as a country with an “appropriate standard of care available from selected providers”. The countries with medium medical risks have reliable emergency services and dental care available most of the time. Some risks of food or water-borne diseases are still present. Montenegro enjoys a low-risk status on the list created by road safety criteria.
Read more about International SOS here.
