LOS ANGELES—Filmmakers taking productions abroad should be concerned about risks associated with terrorism, kidnap and ransom, and disease, according to the "2006 Risks in Global Filmmaking Map," released Wednesday by Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc.

The map, in its third year, analyzes data for more than 200 nations for risks posed to crews and actors working on motion pictures abroad. Each country is assigned an overall risk rating based upon the prevalence of crime and corruption, terrorism, kidnap and ransom, and disease and medical care risk.

According to Chris Palmer, director of risk control at L.A.-based Aon/Albert G. Ruben and co-author of the 2006 map, filmmakers are increasingly shooting movies in foreign locations for creative reasons, as well as to take advantage of reduced labor costs and tax incentives.

"Terrorism remains the number one concern for most of our clients," Mr. Palmer said.

According to the map, Columbia, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are considered countries with the highest likelihood that participants involved in filmmaking will encounter a terrorist incident.

"The threat of terrorism is not only coming from international extremists, such as Al Qaeda, but it is also emerging from domestic, single-interest and ideological groups and individual criminals. These entities are cross-fertilizing and becoming more sophisticated, thus increasing the risk for filmmakers overseas," said Paul Bassett, executive director of terrorism and political risk for Aon Ltd., in a statement.

In terms of political risks, Argentina and Jordan were flagged as countries posing the greatest threat to filmmakers—due to economic risk, strikes and regulatory risk in the case of Argentina, and due to civil unrest, terrorism and embargo in Jordan. The Czech Republic, Hong Kong, the Bahamas and Italy meanwhile, are considered "low risk" in terms of political exposures.

A new development since last year, noted Mr. Palmer, is a rise in kidnappings in China, particularly in coastal regions of the country, where kidnapping is a "thriving" industry. Countries most at risk for kidnap and ransom include Columbia, Georgia, Haiti and Somalia, the map showed.

Going forward, filmmakers should be aware of the potential risks of a potential avian influenza pandemic, noted Mr. Palmer, although currently, even in the countries most at threat for avian flu, such as Egypt or Thailand, "the risk to those cast and crew is very limited, as long as they basically stay out of poultry markets and poultry farms," Mr. Palmer said.

Afghanistan, Colombia, Israel and Iraq continue to be among the countries most dangerous for filmmaking overall, according to the map. Among popular film destinations, the riskiest countries include Nepal, Kenya, Indonesia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, an Aon/Albert G. Ruben spokeswoman said.

Among the nations lowered to "high risk" status in 2006 from a rating last year of "very high risk"—the highest rating that can be assessed—are Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

According to Mr. Palmer, other countries that have become less risky for filmmaking since last year are Morocco, Nicaragua, and the Slovak Republic.

The least risky countries for filmmaking are Canada, Greenland, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, according to the map.

The map is available for download, or a print copy can be requested, at www.aon.com/filmrisk.