The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has selected 50 prospering cities from across the globe and analyzed which are the safest; based on how well they do in four safety-related categories, listed as follows:
- Digital security: cyber security, privacy, and safety from identity theft
- Health security: cost and quality of health services, environment and air/water quality
- Infrastructure security: transportation safety, condition of roads, bridges, and buildings
- Personal safety: crime and violence, perceptions of personal security
The Economist explains on its report that ‘The Safe Cities Index 2015’ is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, sponsored by NEC. The report is based on an index composed of more than 40 quantitative and qualitative indicators. Although on its official site, EIU points out that “the findings are based on factors such as regional representation and availability of data. Therefore, it should not be considered a comprehensive list of the world’s safest cities (i.e., a city coming number 50 in the list does not make it the most perilous place to live in the world).”
On this basis, the EIU top 10 safest cities are:
10 - New York
Not only does New York flourish on the digital front, but this metropolis has seen a phenomenal drop in homicides since its “six murders per day” rate in 1990. In 2013, the city’s murder rate stood at 335, a historic low.
Life expectancy is 81 in New York.
9 - Melbourne
Somewhat smaller than Sydney, this Australian city gained top marks for its infrastructure and personal safety.
The report took note of Melbourne’s average life expectancy—currently 86 years old—compared to Australia’s overall average of 82 years. The average life expectancy of those living in the top 25 cities ranked by the EIU is 81 years.
8 - Toronto
It also has one of the lowest crime rates in North America, with Statistics Canada confirming in 2013 that the country’s crime rate was at its lowest since 1972.
Life expectancy is 81 in Toronto.
7 - Zurich
Zurich may be known for its banking industry, but it’s also located in 2014’s “happiest country”, Switzerland, according to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development.
While Zurich only has around 366,800 citizens, it is home to an extensive public transport system–and one of the world’s busiest train stations.
The city also comes first for health security and infrastructure safety, although its residents face a high cost of living.
Life expectancy is 84 in Zurich.
6 - Sydney
The second Australian city in the top 10, Sydney was named as one of the most “liveable” of all 50 locations analyzed by the EIU.
Australia’s urban population makes up 89.2 percent of its population, and some 4.5 million live in Sydney, making it Australia’s most populated city.
Sydney has one of the largest tram systems worldwide.
Life expectancy is 81 in Sydney.
5 - Amsterdam
Despite having less than 800,000 residents, the Netherland’s cultural capital is named one of the best places to live in the world by the EIU, coming fourth on its Index of Indexes.
In Mercer’s “Quality of Living” index for 2014, Amsterdam came 11th out of 460 cities. Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, highlighted the city’s low crime and corruption levels.
Life expectancy is 79 in Amsterdam.
4 - Stockholm
The Swedish capital scored highly when it came to democratic status and business environment. In fact, the only area that let Stockholm down was its infrastructure safety.
Sweden itself has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $552 billion and is the fifth-best country to do business in, according to Forbes. However, while it has universal healthcare, Stockholm ranks lower in health safety than many other European cities analyzed by the EIU.
Life expectancy is 82 in Stockholm.
3 - Osaka
Home to 2.6 million people, this Japanese city was named the third safest city in the world by the EIU, helped by its flourishing IT sector, strong economy, food security and high “liveability.”
But the report noted that Osaka lost points to Tokyo, which had a higher number of cyber security teams and privacy-based policies. Overall, however, Osaka performed well in most of the top categories, with only infrastructure blemishing its score.
Life expectancy is 83 in Osaka.
2 - Singapore
Having ranked first for personal safety, it comes as no surprise that Singapore did so well in the overall ranking. It also scored well in digital security and infrastructure.
The city-state is the third richest country in the world, according to Forbes, and was named by Lonely Planet as the top country to visit in 2015, due to recent developments in its tourism sector.
Charles Ross, senior editor at EIU, noted that “traditional crimes” in Singapore were very low. However, he added that cybercrime was an area that Singapore needed to focus on in order to enhance its safety.
Life expectancy is 82 in Singapore.
1 - Tokyo
As cybersecurity becomes more of a concern, Tokyo appears to have it covered. In fact, its high digital safety rating helped the city of 38 million people be named the world’s safest by the EIU.
“The world’s most populous city is also the safest in the Index,” the report said. While EIU senior analyst Chris Clague added its personal safety was “unmatched.”
Tokyo, which will be the host for the 2020 Olympics, was also ranked in the top five cities for infrastructure and personal safety.
Life expectancy is 82 in Tokyo.
