The World’s Safest Cities

Which cities are the safest in the world? The Economist recently released its Safe Cities Index 2015, which ranks 50 cities according to how safe they are. These rankings are based on the quality of a city’s digital security, life expectancy and the standard of healthcare for its inhabitants, the quality of the infrastructure and the personal safety of people living in or visiting the city. Since The Economist looks at only 50 cities, the list isn’t comprehensive but it does give you an idea of which major cities are safer than others.

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1. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo not only ranks first in terms of digital security but also for overall safety. In 2014 it was also at the top of TripAdvisor’s World City Survey for Best Overall Experience and it regularly ranks as one of the world’s most liveable cities, even though it’s one of the most expensive cities as well.

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2. Singapore

The Southeast Asian city-state ranks first in terms of personal safety and second for digital security on The Economist’s index, no doubt helped by its tough penalties for crime. It has the world’s third highest per-capita income and is the fourth largest financial centre.

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3. Osaka, Japan

Japan’ second largest city is known for its food scene. The Economist ranks it second in terms of personal safety. However, in 2013 the magazine’s Cost of Living study ranked Osaka as the world’s second most expensive city.

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4. Stockholm, Sweden

The Swedish capital is the only city outside of Asia to rank among the Top 5 in terms of personal safety, coming in fourth. More than a fifth of Sweden’s population lives in and around Stockholm, which is the most populous Nordic city.

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5. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The largest Dutch city regularly ranks among the best cities to live in. On The Economist’s list, it ranks fourth in terms of infrastructure safety, with low pollution levels because of its culture of using bicycles rather than cars.

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6. Sydney, Australia

Australia’s largest and oldest city ranks third in terms of infrastructure safety and its economy is bigger than that of Denmark. However, the high rate of cybercrime in Australia means that Sydney ranks 14th in terms of digital security.

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7. Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich ranks first in terms of infrastructure safety and health security, with very good universal healthcare. It has made several 'best quality of life' lists as well.

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8. Toronto

Toronto comes out tops for cities in the Americas, ranking especially high for personal safety, infrastructure safety and digital security. It’s often rated as one of the most liveable cities in the world, but the cost of living is amongst the highest in Canada.

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9. Melbourne, Australia

Australia’s cultural capital ranks second in terms of infrastructure safety, according to The Economist, but it ranked 20th for digital security. However, The Economist also ranked Melbourne as the most liveable city in 2014 and, at 86, it has one of the highest life expectancies for a major city.

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10. New York, NY

Once notoriously unsafe, New York now ranks second for health security and third for digital security. However, it still ranks 28th for personal safety.

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11. Hong Kong, China

The Economist ranks Hong Kong fourth in terms of digital security and sixth for personal safety but only 40th for infrastructure safety, with the city experiencing very high rates of pedestrian deaths and serious air pollution.

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12. San Francisco, CA

San Francisco ranks eighth for digital security. It has a high average income, a large proportion of residents with a tertiary education and the eighth largest number of billionaires. Prone to earthquakes, the city has a lower ranking for personal safety.

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13. Taipei, Taiwan

The Taiwanese capital ranks fifth in terms of personal safety. It ranks much lower in terms of digital security as well as its infrastructure safety, partly due to its high levels of air pollution.

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14. Montreal

Montreal is a regular on lists of most livable cities and according to the 2015 QS World University Rankings, it’s the eighth best place for university students. It ranks sixth for infrastructure safety.

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15. Barcelona, Spain

According to The Economist, Barcelona ranks seventh for personal safety, mainly because of better policing which has resulted in a dramatic drop in crime. However, the city ranks quite low for digital security, which could affect its image as a great city for business.

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16. Chicago, IL

Chicago’s diversified economy makes it the most balanced in the US. The city ranks high on The Economist’s index for digital security but it lags behind in health security and, because of high crime rates, also in terms of personal security.

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17. Los Angeles, CA

With cyber safety a priority, Los Angeles ranks sixth in terms of digital security. However, problems such as smog and gang activity have caused lower rankings for health, infrastructure and personal security.

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18. London, UK

Even though London ranks 16th for digital security, this is one of the highest rankings for a European city. The British capital also ranks 12th for personal safety, with crime rates having dropped steadily in recent years.

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19. Washington, DC

Washington, DC used to have the highest murder rate in the United States. However, violent crime has dropped significantly and the city is now hailed for its high quality of living.

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20. Frankfurt, Germany

While Frankfurt ranks fourth in terms of health security, it ranks only 29th for digital security. It’s one of the world’s most expensive cities but the German financial centre also has a high quality of living.