World’s 60 safest cities for 2019 revealed and Joburg is not in the top 40

The Economist Intelligence Unit has released the Safe Cities Index 2019 and it is not looking good for South Africa. The index ranked 60 cities on five continents, and rated digital, health, infrastructure and personal security factors.

The report said those ranked higher got the basics right, “be it easy access to high-quality healthcare, dedicated cyber-security teams, community-based police patrolling or disaster continuity planning. Those who want to improve need to get the basics in place and then consider their own specific situations.”

The top five cities in digital security were Tokyo, Singapore, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Franscisco, while the top five in health security were Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The top five in infrastructure security were Singapore, Osaka, Barcelona, Tokyo and Madrid, while Singapore again, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Wellington were the top five in personal security.

Tokyo took the first spot with an overall score of 92, followed by Singapore which scored 91.5.

Johannesburg took 44th place, with infrastructure security sitting on 57.7, Digital security at 60.2, personal security at 63.2 and health security at 53.2 – with an overall score of 58.6. Lagos took the last spot, with infrastructure security sitting at 37.4, digital security at 42.4, personal security at 38.7 and health at 43. It received an overall score of 38.1.

Also read: Tourism’s six-point plan to make travelling to South Africa a breeze

“A look at the top five cities in each pillar—digital, health, infrastructure and personal security—yields a similar message. In each area, leading cities got the basics right, be it easy access to high-quality healthcare, dedicated cyber-security teams, community-based police patrolling or disaster continuity planning. Even among the leaders, the weaknesses of those not in first place tended to vary from city to city. Those who want to improve need to get the basics in place and then consider their own specific situations,” reads the report.

Also read: South Africa in top 20 best places for tech-free, relaxing holidays

These were the top 10 safest cities in the world according to the report:

1. Tokyo
2. Singapore
3. Osaka
4. Toronto
5. Melbourne
6. Amsterdam
7. Sydney
8. Stockholm
9. Hong Kong
10. Zurich

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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