The world’s safest cities

Maybe there’s something to the old ‘safety in numbers’ adage, because the world’s most populated city is also the safest, according to The Economist. Their 2015 Safe Cities Index takes many facets of security and safety into consideration, including digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety.

The Japanese capital, Tokyo, took the gold, with Singapore in second place and Osaka at third. Stockholm and Amsterdam complete the top five, with Sydney coming in at number six.

Zurich and Toronto placed seventh and eighth respectively. The world’s friendliest city, Melbourne, is ranked the ninth safest city in the world. The top 10 is rounded off by New York – the city that never sleeps.

Interestingly, the Index noted that people living in Mexico City felt as safe as those living in Zurich ­ even though the Mexican city ranked 45^th and Zurich seventh. It also made note that people living in US cities tend to be more fearful despite their towns being ranked at the upper end of the Index.

The list also illustrated that the safest cities in the world don’t necessarily make them the best ones in which to live. Even though Tokyo came out trumps at number one, it was ranked number 16 on the ‘best place to live’ index. The best city in which to live goes to Canadian city of Toronto, followed closely by Montreal. Stockholm and Amsterdam placed third and fourth, with San Francisco rounding out the top five.

Melbourne and Sydney switched positions on the ‘best places to live’ index, with Melbourne at sixth and Sydney at ninth.

With a population of 38 million people (according to the UN), Tokyo is classed as a ‘megacity’. New York, Osaka, Los Angeles, London and Paris are the five other megacities making the top half of the Index.

Top 20 cities: Safe Cities Index 2015

1. Tokyo
2. Singapore
3. Osaka
4. Stockholm
5. Amsterdam
6. Sydney
7. Zurich
8. Toronto
9. Melbourne
10. New York
11. Hong Kong
12. San Francisco
13. Taipei
14. Montreal
15. Barcelona
16. Chicago
17. Los Angeles
18. London
19. Washington DC
20. Frankfurt

Read the full report.