Top 20 Safest Cities in the World for Travellers

Tourism flourishes in a climate of peace and prosperity. Political unrest, terrorism, wars, depressions, recessions, and civil strife discourage tourism.

The Economist Safe Cities Index 2017 ranks 60 cities across 49 indicators covering digital security, health security, infrastructure security and personal security.

Personal security considers how at risk citizens are from crime, violence and other man-made threats. Input indicators in this domain take into account policies and decisions such as the level of police engagement, the use of data driven crime prevention and the overall political stability of the country where each city is located. On the output side, the index takes into account the prevalence of petty and violent crime, safety perceptions, as well as new sub-indicators assessing the threat of civil unrest, military conflict and terrorism.

Digital security assesses the ability of urban citizens to freely use the internet and other digital channels without fear of privacy violations or identity theft. On the input side, cities are scored on their awareness of digital threats, the level of technology employed and the existence of dedicated cyber security teams. On the output side, the index measures the frequency of identity theft and the estimated number of computers infected with a virus.

Health security measures how cities maintain the natural environment as well as the level and quality of care available. On the input side, cities are scored based on their environmental policies and access to and quality of healthcare services. Output indicators include air and water quality, life expectancy as well as infant mortality among other sub-indicators. A new sub-indicator focusing on the number of chemical, biological and radiological attacks on a city was also included to incorporate the impact of terrorism on urban health systems.

Infrastructure security considers the built physical environment, such as city infrastructure and its vulnerability to disasters and terrorist attacks. On the input side, the index takes into account sub-indicators such as the quality of infrastructure as well as the enforcement of transport safety, while on the output side the number of vehicular accidents and pedestrian deaths are included, as well as number of terrorist attacks on facilities and infrastructure.

As a traveller, knowledge about the destination’s current security situation prior to departure ensures that your safety is not compromised.

This is the Ranking

1	Tokyo
2	Singapore
3	Osaka
4	Toronto
5	Melbourne
6	Amsterdam
7	Sydney
8	Stockholm
9	Hong Kong
10	Zurich
11	Frankfurt
12	Madrid
13	Barcelona
14	Seoul
15	San Francisco
16	Wellington
17	Brussels
18	Los Angeles
19	Chicago
20	20 London