Travellers have many concerns, but safety is often a key priority, especially for women and LGBTQ+ travellers. A recent study by Forbes Advisor identified the most dangerous places in the world to visit based on seven key criteria, as well as the destinations that ranked safest.
The list analyzed 60 cities around the world on a 100-point scale, where 100 is the most serious risk to travelers.
The criteria include crime risk, personal safety, health security, infrastructure security and digital security.
The most dangerous cities in the world to visit
The most dangerous city for travelers is Caracas, Venezuela. With a score of 100 out of 100, the Venezuelan city presents the highest risk in terms of health security due to the low quality of available healthcare, the highest risk of crime, the second highest risk of infrastructure security, and the second highest risk to digital security.
Venezuela as a whole is rated by the U.S. State Department as a Level 4 risk country: “Do not travel due to crime, civil unrest, kidnappings, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”
The second most dangerous destination in the world is Karachi, Pakistan, which garners a score of 93.12 out of 100. It has the highest risk to personal safety due to crime, terrorist threats, financial weakness, and even natural disasters. It also has the fourth highest risk in terms of infrastructure security.
The State Department ranks Pakistan as a whole at level 3: “Reconsider travel because of terrorism.”
The third most dangerous destination is Yangon, Myanmar. It scores 91.67 out of 100 and represents the highest cybersecurity risk, the third highest personal safety risk, and the third highest health insurance risk.
The State Department classifies Myanmar as a Level 4 risk country: “Do not travel due to civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws,” which have escalated since the military took power in February 2021.
The complete list of dangerous cities (in descending order)
Caracas, Venezuela
Karachi, Pakistan
Yangon, Myanmar
Lagos, Nigeria
Manila, Philippines
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bogota, Colombia
Cairo, Egypt
Mexico City, Mexico
Quito, Ecuador
The safest cities in the world to visit
Two of the top three safest cities are in Asia, while the top ten safest include destinations from Asia to Australia and Europe.
The least dangerous city to visit in the world is Singapore, which garnered an impressive 0 out of 100. It has the lowest risk of natural disasters, the second lowest risk to health security, the second lowest risk to infrastructure security and the second lowest risk to digital security.
Singapore is rated by the State Department as a country with a level 1 security risk.
The second safest destination is Tokyo, Japan, which has a safety score of 10.72 out of 100. The large metropolis offers the lowest health safety risk and the fifth lowest infrastructure safety risk. Japan is known for being quite safe, and the State Department classifies it as a level 1 risk.
Leaving Asia, the third safest destination is Toronto, Canada. It scores 13.6 out of 100 and ranks with the fourth lowest infrastructure safety risk and seventh lowest health security risk, making it a large large city for travelers with minor safety concerns to visit.
Canada is also classified as a Level 1 risk destination.
The complete list of safe cities (in ascending order from least dangerous)
Singapore, Singapore
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto, Canada
Sydney, Australia
Zurich, Switzerland
Copenhagen, Denmark
Seoul, South Korea
Osaka, Japan
Melbourne, Australia
Amsterdam, Netherlands
