There are travelers who find destinations off the beaten tracks attractive having the ingredients of an adventurous travel that excite them. Unfortunately, for a great number of them, convenience is an important consideration when picking destinations, which is why cities are popular destinations. But crammed with millions of people, are you not worried these busy economic centers are a lawless mess?
Maybe, but not all cities are created the same. Some are guaranteed to be safer than others. If you are looking for a city to spend your holiday with your family or hold a business meeting (a good excuse to go on a brief holiday with your spouse) it would be good to know what your safe options are.
Check out the Safe Cities Index 2015 according to the newspaper Economist. The top 10 cities were made from a selection of 50 prospering cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and analysis was based on qualitative and quantitative data.
EIU doesn’t only take the crime rate into consideration. According to Business Insider’s Natasha Bertrand and Erin Fuchs feature article entitled “20 Of The Safest Cities In The World,” there are other factors considered such as:
- Digital security — This measures the quality of a city’s cybersecurity, the frequency of identity theft, and other factors related to digital security.
- Health security — This metric looks at average life expectancy of a city’s citizens as well as the ratio of hospital beds to the size of the population.
- Infrastructure — This looks at factors like the quality of roads and the number of people who die from natural disasters.
- Personal safety — This category looks at more traditional safety measures like crime, the level of police engagement, and the number of violent crimes.
Here is the list of the top 10 safest cities according to EIU.
- Tokyo
- Singapore
- Osaka
- Stockholm
- Amsterdam
- Sydney
- Zurich
- Toronto
- Melbourne, Australia
- New York City
The list is a living proof that it is possible for a city brimming with 38 million residents (UN cited in Japan Real Time) to be a safe metropolis. Hard as it is to believe, but this Japanese megacity, the most populous city on the planet is the world’s safest urban destination as of 2015.
Behind Tokyo are two more Southeast Asian cities, – Singapore and Osaka (another Japanese city).
Stockholm, the Swedish capital grabbed the fourth because of its universal healthcare, digital security and personal safety.
Amsterdam with its marvelous infrastructure and pervasive cycling culture have an incredible infrastructure safety that reduced car accidents and pollution caused by traffic congestion.
Sydney grabbed the sixth rank and Melbourne (2014’s Friendliest City) has taken the ninth. Both Sydney and Melbourne boast of their infrastructure security and personal safety.
What catapulted Zurich in the seventh position is because it placed high in the categories of infrastructure security and health safety.
Canada’s populous city of Toronto is highly commended for excelling in the categories of personal safety and infrastructure safety. It is also recognized for its safe business environment, democracy, cost of living, food security, and livability, according to the Index.
New York is the only North American city to make it to the top 10 for ranking high in health security and ranking third for digital safety.
The next 10 includes:
- Hong Kong
- San Francisco
- Taipei
- Montreal
- Barcelona
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- London
- Washington D.C.
- Frankfurt
When you can pick your next city stop, exercise your option well. These cities are also home to a lot of interesting and exciting attractions. But more than anything know you are heading to a safe city destination. That can certainly make you sleep better while away from home.
