There's no single "least friendly" list, but countries often cited for being difficult for tourists due to safety, politics, or cultural barriers include North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Yemen, often due to conflict, strict controls, or lack of infrastructure, while other lists mention countries like Kuwait, Czechia, Austria, and some Nordic nations for reserved local attitudes, according to recent expat and travel surveys.
🤔 The latest Expat Insider 2025 ranking reveals the world's least friendly countries for foreigners, with Kuwait once again taking the top spot.
Tuvalu, a tiny country of raised coral atolls, receives around 3,700 visitors per year. It's often considered the least-visited country in the world. Located in the South Pacific between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu offers a true escape.
FCDO advises against all travel
Don't go to: Barcelona
There have been regular protests in Barcelona against overtourism, and its impact on life in the city. Things reached a crescendo in July, with public demonstrations and widespread protest graffiti telling tourists 'go home', and some protesters squirting tourists with water guns.
Here's a list of countries currently on the "Do Not Travel" list: Afghanistan: Due to armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping. Burkina Faso: Due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping. Central African Republic: Due to armed conflict, crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping.
North Sentinel Island, a small island in the Indian Ocean, is officially off limits to all visitors. Its Indigenous inhabitants, the Sentinelese, live their life almost entirely untouched by the wider world.
The destinations Australian travellers should avoid in 2026
France is the #1 tourist destination in the world continuously for more than 30 years. Over 102 million tourists travelled to France in 2024, contributing approximately $77.1 billion in tourism receipts, which averages to about $755 per visitor.
Skip the Overtourism: 17 Alternative Travel Destinations to Visit...
The Countries That DON'T Want You To Visit
Ranking of the least happy countries worldwide 2024, by score. Afghanistan was ranked the least happy country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report from 2025. The country scored only 1.36 on a scale from 0 to 10.
Iceland, New Zealand, and Ireland again lead with the world's lowest crime rates in 2025. Countries like Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Singapore follow closely, powered by strong laws and social trust. Know more below about what makes these nations so safe.
Level 4: Do Not Travel
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in 2022, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark and Austria.
25 Most Dangerous Countries to Visit in 2025
Kiribati, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is one of the least visited countries in the world. With its remote location, the country often sees fewer than 6,000 international visitors annually.
Dark tourism is an occurrence which represents the unfortunate sector of the communal that comprises death, suffering, bloodshed, grievances, tragedy etc. making it a multifaceted combination of history and heritage, tourism and tragedies.