Travel safety comparison · North America
Canada vs United States: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Canada and United States for 2026: risk scores, FCDO and US State Department advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ legal status, and the practical decision between the two.
Canada carries a materially lower safety risk than United States on the composite Warnely score: 11/100 against 26/100, a gap of 15 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Canada scores 1/5 against United States's 3/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 1 advisory on Canada and a Level 1 on United States. Women's-safety rating differs: Canada is Very Safe and United States is Generally Safe.
| 🇨🇦Canada | 🇺🇸United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 11 / 100 | 26 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Very Safe | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #14 | #128 |
| Drug law | Strict | Strict |
| Women's safety rating | Very Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | marriage |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | CAD | USD |