There are many reasons to take a trip, whether it’s to explore the unique sights on offer at a particular destination or to simply immerse oneself in a different culture. But in an often hectic world, countless numbers of people are turning to travel for relaxation, mindfulness, and immersive experiences that help them unwind and rebalance themselves. With that in mind, a new global index has just been released that unveils the most spiritual countries around the world, making it easier than ever for prospective travellers to discover what places suit them. While diversity and freedom of religion play an important role in the ranking, the study looked at a number of different factors, including quality of life in each country, wellness, mindfulness and spiritual sites.

Balanced stones on a pebble beach
Canada took the top spot in the ranking of the most spiritual countries in the world.

Released by Wayfairer Travel, the Global Spirituality Index analysed data sets on every country across the globe in order to outline which destinations offered attractive prospects for travellers seeking spiritual experiences. Each country was given a score between 1 to 7 in each category, leaving them with a final ranking number. While the top ten included countries that come as no surprise (India at number three and Japan at number four), topping the ranking with a score of 40 out of 49 was Canada, which earned major marks due to its quality of life, wellness opportunities, religious diversity and religious tolerance.

Photo Taken In Toronto, Canada
Canada scored high in the ranking due to its quality of life, wellness opportunities and religious tolerance.

“With spiritual travel being one of the most popular and fastest growing travel trends for 2018, it is clear that spirituality is an important element to travellers when choosing a destination, which is likely due to the increasingly busy and continually switched on lives most of us lead today. We hope that the index can assist travellers looking for a spiritual break,” Harry Porse, co-founder of Wayfairer Travel told Lonely Planet Travel News. Italy took the second position in the ranking, while the top ten was completed by the United Kingdom, the USA, Mexico, Australia, Philippines and Germany.

The complete ranking is available at Wayfairer Travel website.

Explore related stories

Girl looks at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

Israel adds 10 countries to banned travel "red list" including US, Canada and Germany

Dec 20, 2021 • 2 min read