Traveling alone abroad allows you to discover a destination at your own pace, without having to take into account the wishes of others. But some countries are less suited to this type of trip… A ranking conducted by TripSIM scrutinized 40 European countries to evaluate the risks that solo travelers may face. Crime, road safety, the quality of care, or the feeling of safety in the streets: several criteria were taken into account. And some very popular tourist destinations appear among the lower-ranked.
Italy, Greece, Albania… These tourist destinations are among the riskiest
To establish its ranking, the virtual SIM (eSIM) company TripSIM compared 40 European countries using 13 indicators related to safety and travel conditions. The study notably takes into account crime levels, road risks, the quality of healthcare infrastructure, the availability of public transport, and the share of residents who feel safe when walking alone at night.
At the top of this rather unwelcome ranking sits Russia, with the highest risk score (65.64 points). It notably features a crime index of 6.92 and a score of 3.367 on the Global Peace Index. Moldova ranks second with 50.82 points, while Bosnia and Herzegovina completes the podium with 48.45 points. In the latter country, the indicator for the availability of public transport reaches 66.9.
The remainder of the ranking holds a few surprises for travelers fond of Southern Europe. Italy thus positions itself in fourth place, with 44.96 points. Among the top 10 countries for which this data is available, it shows the lowest share of people who feel safe walking alone at night — only 60%. Yet its homicide rate remains relatively low, at 0.57 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. A figure that underscores the importance of cross-checking several indicators rather than relying on crime alone.
Albania comes fifth with 44.44 points, recording a healthcare quality index of 47.9. Greece follows in sixth place (43.31 points). If only 64% of its residents feel safe walking alone at night, the country nevertheless benefits from good public transport coverage, with an availability indicator of 96.5.
Malta takes seventh place (42.47 points), followed by Romania (41.95), North Macedonia (41.51), and Belarus (40.62). These countries display different profiles. Malta, notably, has the lowest road mortality rate among the top 10, at 2.19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. By contrast, Belarus records the highest, at 16.96. As for North Macedonia, 75% of its inhabitants nonetheless report feeling safe when walking alone at night.
