Safe Cities Index 2017: Tokyo is world's safest city

Australian cities, Melbourne and Sydney were ranked 5th and 7th respectively.

Tokyo a city of 38m people Source: Wikimedia Commons

Economist’s Safe Cities Index 2017 has ranked Tokyo as the safest city in the world.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Two Australian cities Melbourne and Sydney made it to the Top Ten, with Melbourne ranked at number 5 and Sydney ranked at number 7.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Indian cities, Delhi and Mumbai were ranked 43rd and 45th respectively.

The index, produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit, was based on 49 indicators covering digital, health, infrastructure and personal security.

Of the 10 cities at the bottom of the index, two are in South Asia (Dhaka and Karachi), three in South-east Asia (Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta) and two in the Middle East and Africa (Cairo and Tehran), The Economist said.

Source: The Economist

In 2016, there were 31 megacities, each having more than 10 million people. And that figure is projected to rise to 41 million by 2030, the study said.

“While cities generate economic activity, the security challenges they face expand and intensify as their populations rise,” Chris Clague, who edited the report 'Safe Cities Index 2017: Security in a Rapidly Urbanising World', noted.

The study also took into account the 'growing' terrorism risks faced by the people in the world capitals.

It cited recent terror attacks in London, Paris and Barcelona and said the wealthy urban centres are increasingly becoming targets of terrorists.

Tokyo's strongest performance is in the digital security category and it has risen seven points in the health security category, the report said.

No US city has made it to the top 10 in the security category and only San Francisco appeared in the top 20. The top 10 cities in this category are Madrid, Barcelona, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Zurich, Singapore, Wellington, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney.

However, the US performed well in digital safety. Of the cities in the top in this category, four are from the US (Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Dallas).

Asia, the Middle East and Africa dominated the bottom of the index.

Follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER