Founded in 1985 by two Frenchmen, International SOS specializes in the management of health and safety risks internationally. Every year for ten years, it publishes a report “Risk Outlook” which highlights the level of health and safety risk, region by region.
For individuals, International SOS also publishes an interactive map, the Travel Risk Mapwhich provides some wise advice in the event of professional or personal travel.
This map highlights three risks: the health riskthe security risk (terrorist, political, social, criminal) and the psychic risk. This is also the first edition where International SOS highlights this last danger.
Security: Ukraine goes into the red
In terms of security, Ukraine has tumbled in the ranking with the war to join the countries where the risk is “extreme” such as Libya, Afghanistan, Mali or Somalia.
Worldwide, areas of conflict and security risks are concentrated in Central Africa and North Africa. If Morocco is spared by these dangers, it is different for its Algerian neighbor whose south is regularly the scene of violence.
The most dangerous countries in terms of security © International SOS
Whether from a health or security point of view, Western Europe and the United States represent the least risk. Once again, it is Africa that concentrates a large majority of the health risk on the planet.
1 in 6 French people suffer from mental disorders
This year and for the first time, this map also indicates the risk of mental health by country. On the map below, you can discover the ranking of countries where the population is the most fragile from a psychological point of view.
In France, between 15 and 17.5% of the population suffer from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolarity, eating disorders or schizophrenia. Among the most sensitive countries in 2023, Spain, Greenland, French Guinea, Australia, Iran and New Zealand are at the bottom of the ranking.
Psychological fragility by country © International SOS
More generally, developed countries have populations that are more psychologically fragile than others. Western Europe, like the United States, all have more than 15% of their population experiencing mental disorders. Asia or Africa are relatively spared, which is not the case of Latin America.
This study confirms another report from the World Health Organization which states that one in seven people suffer from a mental disorder in the world. The WHO even claims that the first year of Covid-19 would have led to a 25% increase in the number of depressions and anxiety.
One of International SOS’s 1,300 doctors, Irene Lai, insists that “with travel and health risks on the rise in many regions, it is important that organizations also focus on mitigating the ongoing impact of mental health problems”. According to her, mental disorders are not sufficiently taken into account by organizations.
Below, you can find a video of the report more specific to Europe.
