What Makes a City Among the Safest in the World?

While the question of a location’s safety is often subjective depending on an individual’s travel experience and overall life experience, there are some measurable factors that can indicate whether a city is a safe destination for foreigners. Last summer, the Economist Intelligence Unit issued its 2019 Safe Cities Index, a ranking of 60 urban settings around the world based on various aspects of security, such as digital, personal and infrastructure.

The top-ranking city is Tokyo, followed by Singapore and Osaka, Japan. While there may seem to be an Asian connection, the geography of these three cities has little to do with their rankings. Instead, the scores reflect the amount of effort and resources the local governments and residents contributed to equip it with the latest safety technology and practices.

Closer analysis of the results reveals the average income of residents also correlates to higher scores: With higher taxes, governments can invest in more sophisticated security systems to protect their residents. The study also focused on the ability of cities to bounce back from catastrophic events such as natural disasters, another reason Tokyo came out on top. Its resilience in the face of earthquakes and other storms is a direct result of government reforms on infrastructure and other areas.

The rest of the top 10 are Amsterdam; Sydney; Toronto; Washington, D.C.; Copenhagen and Seoul (tied); and Melbourne.