Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has released its ranking of the world’s safest countries to travel to next year – with the ranking excluding Spain, one of Britons’ most-beloved destinations.  

The travel insurance provider brought together tourist rankings, the Global Peace Index, data from Numbeo, and an average of the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities to create a country’s score.

Since the last ranking by the organisation, Iceland rose from ninth all the way to first. New Zealand rebounded from 11th to sixth, while the UK fell to 13th from that sixth spot, and the Netherlands from fifth to 14th. 

Iceland was named the safest country in the world. According to Berkshire Hathaway, it has one major road that is “never crowded”, and has a narrow shoulder season (the period between peak season and the offseason) of October and April.

Australia came in second. Berkshire Hathaway warned mainly of wildlife including jellyfish, crocodiles, sharks, poisonous insects and snakes. It said the cities are “relatively” safe.

In third place was Canada, with a dispersed population. Again, Berkshire Hathaway warned of wildlife including bears, geese, elk, caribou and deer.

Ireland came in fourth, with “few major cities” and a “friendly populace”. Berkshire Hathaway urges care for “narrow roads and inexperienced drivers” though all tourists need is a rental car, a map and “a good raincoat”. 

Spain, which welcomes millions of British tourists every year, ranked in 12th place, below Portugal and just above the UK.