Most dangerous cities: From Jakarta to Karachi, these places scored lowest on new index

After being ranked across six different criteria, these cities were deemed the least safe in the world

Karachi came bottom of the safe cities index (Getty Images)

A new list ranking the world’s cities by safety has been released, with 60 places scored across four different criteria to determine how dangerous they are.

The report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, entitled the Safe Cities Index 2017, scored cities on their digital security, health security, infrastructure security and personal security, which combined to create each one’s overall ranking.

The most dangerous cities were all located in South and South East Asia, the Middle East or Africa, with Karachi in Pakistan deemed the most dangerous using the index’s criteria. It was followed by Yangon in Myanmar, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Jakarta in Indonesia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the top 10 was dominated by East Asia, Australia and Europe. Tokyo, Japan, held onto the top spot for the second time running, second place went to Singapore, and Osaka, Toronto and Melbourne were third, fourth and fifth respectively.

London just made the top third of cities, sliding into 20th position with an aggregated score of 82.10.

The study says: “The results of the 2017 Safe Cities Index again show a sharp divide in overall levels of safety between the fast urbanising developing world and the stagnant developed world.”

With regards to the criteria, digital security relates to smart city technology and how well-protected it is. The report uses the example of San Francisco: in November last year hackers attacked the city’s transport system computers and encrypted all the data, demanding a ransom for its return. “This type of incident is bound to become more frequent,” says the report. “As ‘smart cities’ connect their infrastructure to broadband Internet, wirelessly enabled sensors, big data and analytics, they are becoming more vulnerable to cyber-attack if security measures are not widely implemented.”

Health security encompasses adequate access to healthcare and whether the urban environment itself is healthy; infrastructure security is about assessing the safety of buildings, roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure; and personal safety looks at urban crime, homicide and terrorist attacks.

The 10 safest cities

1. Tokyo: 89.80

2. Singapore: 89.64

3. Osaka: 88.87

4. Toronto: 87.36

5. Melbourne: 87.30

6. Amsterdam: 87.26

7. Sydney: 86.74

8. Stockholm: 86.72

9. Hong Kong: 86.22

10. Zurich: 85.20

The 10 most dangerous cities

51. Cairo: 58.33

52. Tehran: 56.49

53. Quito: 56.39

54. Caracas: 55.22

55. Manila: 54.86

56. Ho Chi Minh City: 54.33

57. Jakarta: 53.39

58. Dhaka: 47.37

59. Yangon: 46.47

60. Karachi: 38.77