January 2, 2025, 5:58 am | Read time: 9 minutes
The safety experts at Safeture and Riskline have published a current risk map. In addition to the safest and most unsafe countries, the map also lists the ten cities that offer travelers a safe destination—or one that they should avoid. These are the cities.
How safe is the world these days? Where can you travel with confidence, where should you be careful, and which countries, regions, and cities should you stay away from for the time being? The topic of security is polarizing, especially in light of the wars in the Middle East and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as the sometimes devastating effects of climate change. Added to this are security concerns, such as domestic political situations, crime, and the like.
To give travelers (and everyone else) an overview of the situation in the world, the Institute for Economics and Peace, for example, looks at the state of peace and security in the world every year in its Global Peace Index. Various companies also regularly publish new risk maps, such as International SOS and A3M Global Monitoring GmbH. The partner companies Safeture and Riskline have also entered the arena of risk mapping. They recently published their Risk Map 2025, which highlights individual cities, countries, and regions—the safest and most unsafe.
Overview
How the Risk Map of the World’s (Un)Safest Cities Was Determined
The Swedish software company Safeture, which claims to be a “platform for the professional management of risks when traveling”, has developed the world risk map. This was done on the basis of data from the Danish company Riskline, which analyzes travel risks worldwide. The map itself is divided into five color gradations, from the risk levels “negligible risk” (dark green) to “critical risk” (red). Factors such as security, crime, health, environmental risks, and local medical care are used to determine the risk level.
Safeture does not specify in its press release what the data is, where it comes from, and how exactly the safest and most unsafe cities and countries are determined. However, it does say that it involves more than 100,000 data sources that are processed by AI-supported professional analysts. Riskline’s homepage says a little more: “We use proprietary technology that continuously monitors Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) for travel.” According to this, the analysts check and verify information from sources such as local and social media, government information, law enforcement agencies, emergency services, security forces, and disaster relief organizations on a daily basis. How exactly the lists of cities were compiled, however, remains questionable. TRAVELBOOK has not yet received a response to a corresponding request from Safeture.
European City in 1st Place Among the Safest Cities
Switzerland is renowned as a secure, small nation in Central Europe, known for its policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries and a preference for maintaining its sovereignty. Switzerland is committed to neutrality and is not a member of the European Union, although it maintains close relations with the EU. This approach of self-imposed isolation appears to have yielded benefits once more, as the Swiss federal city of Bern has been declared the safest city in the world following Riskline’s data analysis.
Moreover, it’s not just the political capital of Switzerland that’s safe; the country itself ranks as one of the safest globally, according to the latest Risk Map 2025. In addition to Switzerland, this also applies to six other European destinations: Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, and Norway. Outside of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan in particular are “perfect destinations for a carefree and relaxed trip,” according to a Safeture press release. These regions are also home to the majority of other cities currently ranked as the safest in the world.
The Top 10 Safest Cities*
- Bern, Switzerland
- Doha, Qatar
- Melbourne, Australia
- Montreal, Canada
- Muscat, Oman
- Ottawa, Canada
- Seoul, South Korea
- Singapore, Singapore
- The Hague, Netherlands
- Tokyo, Japan
* According to the Risk Map 2025 by Safeture and Riskline
Bangui Is the World’s Most Unsafe City, According to the Ranking
Bangui in the Central African Republic ranks first among the ten cities that Safeture and Riskline say are the most unsafe in the world. The country itself ranks second among the most unsafe countries, alongside Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Myanmar, Niger, the Palestinian Territories, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
And how did Bangui achieve this unflattering honor? The Federal Foreign Office summarizes in its security advice: “The security situation is volatile throughout the country.” There are armed clashes and attacks throughout the country, and more than one million people are now on the run. People are repeatedly arrested unlawfully, including visitors to the country; air traffic is sometimes restricted, and the same applies to access to food and fuel. In the capital Bangui, as everywhere else in the country, there is a “risk of becoming a victim of violent crime such as kidnappings, looting, burglaries, and assaults,” as well as being caught between military action and shootings. “Armed banditry, particularly in the capital, is on the rise, especially at night and in the evenings” and attacks on private homes are commonplace. The Federal Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for the entire Central African Republic.
Following the troubled city of Bangui are several cities that are readily classified as “unsafe”. This includes the cities of Beirut and Gaza, which have recently experienced significant acts of war.
The Top 10 Most Unsafe Cities*
- Bangui, Central African Republic
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Gaza City, Palestine
- Karachi, Pakistan
- Khartoum, Sudan
- Mogadishu, Somalia
- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Sanaa, Yemen
- Yangon, Myanmar
* According to the Risk Map 2025 by Safeture and Riskline
The Most Dangerous (And Safest) Countries in 2025
At These Airports, Luggage Is Lost Particularly Often
The Best City in the World for Expats in 2024 Is in Europe
Comparison With Forbes Analysis of the World’s (Un)Safest Cities
Incidentally, this ranking of the (un)safest cities almost replaces a similar ranking by the business magazine Forbes. In July 2024, the magazine published an analysis aimed particularly at people with travel plans for the next six months. The Forbes analysts took into account various threats published by the weekly newspaper The Economist as security risk data for an objective survey. These included the crime rate, terrorist threats, and the frequency of natural disasters in a location. Also included in the survey were the crime risk per city as assessed by the Numbeo database and the travel security ratings of destinations by the US State Department.
Around five months have passed since the Forbes ranking was published, not too long a time. However, the safest cities in the two rankings are almost entirely different. Only four of the ten cities that are considered the safest in the above risk map are even mentioned: Singapore (incidentally the safest city in the world according to Forbes at the time), plus Tokyo, Seoul, and Melbourne. Bern, currently the safest city according to Safeture and Riskline, is not listed, but Zurich in Switzerland is in fifth place. Canada is represented in both, but with Toronto instead of Ottawa and Montreal; the same applies to the Netherlands, which is represented once with Amsterdam and once with The Hague.
An Overview of the 10 Safest Cities in the World, According to Forbes
1. Singapore, Singapore
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6 Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Seoul, South Korea
8. Osaka, Japan
9. Melbourne, Australia
10. Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Cleanest City in the World Is Also One of the Safest
Based on the Forbes evaluation, Singapore is apparently the safest place to travel to. And that’s probably what many people already liked. The capital of the republic of the same name is a fascinating place—a melting pot of cultures, characterized by impressive, futuristic architecture—and is considered one of the cleanest cities in the world. In the data analysis, it also emerged as the safest of the 60 cities surveyed.
Singapore received zero out of a possible 100 (danger) points. The risk of natural disasters is very low, as is the risk to health and safety, explained those responsible. On the other hand, the level and quality of health services are very high, as is the city’s infrastructure. This assessment point stands for the vulnerability of the main areas of equipment to damage caused by disasters (man-made or natural). Digital hazards also did not appear to be an issue. According to the data, fear of online attacks, privacy breaches, or identity theft is not known in Singapore.
According to the publication, it was Tokyo’s low health risks in particular that earned the Japanese capital its good position in second place. This was complemented by the “best travel safety rating by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” and a low-rated infrastructure safety risk. In this particular point, one city scored even better: according to the data, the availability and quality of urban infrastructure in Toronto (3rd place) is exceptionally high.
Caracas (Not Bangui) Is the Most Dangerous City in the World, According to Forbes
For the most unsafe cities, the discrepancy between the two rankings is even greater than for the safest—there are only two out of ten matches here: Karachi and Yangon make it onto the worst list for both. The city deemed the most dangerous in the world in one ranking is notably absent from the other. Analysts also disagree on the countries.
Top 10 Most Unsafe Cities in the World, According to Forbes
1. Caracas, Venezuela
2. Karachi, Pakistan
3. Yangon, Myanmar
4. Lagos, Nigeria
5. Manila, Philippines
6. Dhaka, Bangladesh
7. Bogotá, Colombia
8. Cairo, Egypt
9. Mexico City, Mexico
10. Quito, Ecuador
On the “dark” side of the Forbes ranking—the one about the world’s most unsafe cities—Caracas in Venezuela is in first place. This is not very surprising at this point. After all, in a Numbeo ranking published shortly beforehand, which was based on the subjective perception of safety of survey participants, the city also came out as the most dangerous. The survey clearly showed that there was a continuous increase in violence on the ground.
The crime rate in Caracas is exceptionally high, the authors of the Forbes analysis also wrote to justify their own ranking. Added to this was the worst travel safety rating by the US State Department with level 4, which translates as “do not travel there”. The condition of the city’s infrastructure was also described as a major risk factor. Additionally, it is reported that residents of Caracas feel insecure about using the internet.