There are many factors that determine the safest cities in the world. The Safe Cities Index 2019 lists the safest cities and also breaks down the information used to reach that decision. This evaluation is an in-depth process that looks at many things, ranking 60 cities and using 57 points of information to help determine that rank. Those indicators look at various types of security including personal, health, infrastructure, and digital security that they use as the four pillars to identify the safety of a city. Ranked in order of safest first, below is a list of the 10 safest cities in the world.
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9 Melbourne
The second city in Australia to grace our list is Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria. With a population of over 5 million citizens, this city is full of cultural institutions and a center for music, theater, and art. While Melbourne ranked higher on the list last year, it still rounds out the top 10. Even with the slight drop ranking at the top of the list shows the city’s dedication to engaging in forward-thinking planning and development.
8 Copenhagen/Seoul
The next two cities had a tied score for the place of 8 respectively. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark with an approximate population of just over three-quarters of a million people. Established by the Vikings as a fishing village, Copenhagen has come a long way over the centuries. A thriving urban and cultural city, Copenhagen ranked within the top 5 cities for personal security. Seoul in South Korea is a city rich in history and heritage and has an incredibly high quality of life. It makes sense then that Seoul ranked so highly in health security.
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7 Washington, DC
Washington, DC used to have a reputation of not being a safe city to visit, but that is becoming a thing of the past. The capital of the United States has a population of close to three-quarters of a million people, putting it firmly in one of the top 20 cities in the US in terms of population. DC ranked highly in digital security and also did well on preparedness and resiliency when related to disasters. Emergency services and air transport facilities also help bolster this city and make it the only US city to rank within the top 10.
6 Toronto
Toronto is the capital of Ontario in Canada. This city has a population that is closing in on 3 million residents. While many people are most impressed with the gorgeous rivers and forest, it’s also quite impressive that Toronto makes our 10 safest cities list at number 6. One of only 2 cities in North America that made the list, Toronto ranks highly in digital security. While Toronto doesn’t specifically hit the top 5 under the 4 pillars of security, it still performs well in the categories.
5 Sydney
Sydney, Australia falls right in the middle of our safest cities list for 2019. Syndey just missed beating out Amsterdam for the number four position, but its scores for digital, health, and infrastructure still kept it proudly within the top ten. Sydney has the largest population in Australia with over 5 million residents. Not only is it one of the safest cities in the world, but it also ranks as one of the most livable and it makes a good showing, coming in at number 5 on our list of the safest cities in the world.
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4 Amsterdam
The first country on our list to fall outside of Asia is Amsterdam. Amsterdam ranked high on the list of health security, but it also was recognized for actively working on a national development strategy for urban planning. By using directives, policies, and urban development plans, as well as considering things like a disaster risk assessment they have ranked toward the top of the list.
3 Osaka
The third city on our list continues the trend of safe cities in Asia. Osaka is a vibrant trade center with over 9 million residents. A bustling city full of lots of enticing restaurants, theme parks, and even a castle, Osaka tops the list of health security and ranks number 2 in infrastructure security. Health security, as previously discussed, revolves around initiatives to keep citizens healthy, but this is the first city that has ranked on our list that has topped the list for infrastructure. This means that the city has roads clearly marked for traffic, they are finding ways to improve their infrastructure through technology, and they don’t build within flood plains.
2 Singapore
Singapore was so close to edging out Tokyo this year for the safest city in the world. This city ranked highest in infrastructure security and personal security, meaning that citizens are safe within the city. The EIU looks at things like good lighting in public places, surveillance, and the use of apps to alert people of possibly dangerous situations. Singapore, like Tokyo, also ranked high in the category of digital security.
1 Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan has ranked as the safest city in the world for the past three years. There’s a reason this city for that honor. Though it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, it has a low crime rate, especially when it comes to violent crimes. Tokyo ranked at the top of this on digital security, which means that it is a city that is transparent about sharing information on cyber attacks. It also relates to something as simple as establishing a culture where secure, good passwords are used by the citizens regularly. Tokyo also ranked highly in health security, which focuses on initiatives that prevent the spread of disease especially in poorer parts of the community as well as vaccination. There is also a focus on pollution and how the city collects that data.