Top 50 Safest Cities in the World: Southeast Asia is Well Represented.

Top 50 Safest Cities in the World: Southeast Asia is Well Represented.

A list of the top 50 Safest Cities in the World features no fewer than 4 Southeast Asian cities. Singapore came in 2nd place, only beaten by Tokyo. Bangkok was in at number 39, Ho Chi Minh City at 48 and Jakarta just made it in at number 50.

Singapore is no surprise of course. It prides itself on law and order and public behaviour and in the personal safety category it finished top. Still 2nd only to Tokyo is extremely impressive and as the city re-invents itself into the modern playground that it now is, this will be viewed as very positive news.

Bangkok’s inclusion is impressive. This is after all the city that constantly vies with London for the place at the top of the world’s most visited cities. For a city that receives 18 million visitors per year to rank in top 50 Safest Cities in the World, is a great achievement.

Bangkok at night

For Ho Chi Minh City this will be seen as great news and a terrific boost for tourism. Visitor numbers and tourism revenues hit an all time high this year,. The City’s tourism chiefs will be encouraged by the news that it is in the list of the top 50 Safest Cities in the World. Tourism numbers are very encouraging, 410,000 International visitors visited the city in the last month alone; a rise of 8%. They spent a record $363 million, up 7% on last years figures. It is expected that almost 5 million tourists will arrive in Vietnam’s largest city in 2015.

An incredible view of ‘The World’ Cruise ship moored in Saigon. Photo by Francesco Zaramella

Jakarta’s highest ranking came in the personal safety category, where it finished in 34th place.
The official metropolitan Jakarta region is known as Jabodetabek and is the second largest urban agglomeration in the World. It has done well to make this list, with the largest population coupled with the lowest GDP, it is genuinely taking on the more developed and richer cities in the world.

The list of the world’s safest cities was compiled buy the British journal The Economist. The Economist Intelligence Unit Report is an extremely thorough study, using in excess of 40 quantitative and qualitative indicators. The four categories are: Digital Security, Health Security, Infrastructure Safety and Personal Safety. The 4 Southeast Asian Cities achieved a varying measure of success in each category.

Digital Security:  Singapore 2nd, Ho Chi Minh 42nd, Bangkok 45th and Jakarta 48th

Health Security: Singapore 12th, Bangkok 35th, Jakarta 44th and Ho Chi Minh 48th

Infrastructure Safety: Singapore 7th, Bangkok 42nd, Jakarta 48th and Ho Chi Minh 50th

Personal Safety: Singapore 1st, Bangkok 26th, Ho Chi Minh 34th and Jakarta 45th

It is especially rewarding for the lower income ranked cities to feature. Ho Chi Minh and Jakarta rank among the lowest income section of this list with a GDP per capita of less than $10,000. This section only has 4 cities representing it. It is very noticeable that the top 25 on the list ALL come from High or Upper-Middle Income groups.

There is no doubt that this is a major coup for Southeast Asia. To be represented by the same number of cities as the USA in the list is impressive. New York, Los Angeles, San Fransisco and Chicago being America’s representatives. It is also interesting that ranking highly as a safe city is no guarantee that the residents will ‘feel’ safe. The prevalence of gated communities in certain countries was designed to make people feel safe. Ironically there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the opposite happens. A 2013 study of gated communities in South Africa found that moving to these residences actually increased the risk of burglary. This presents a challenge for those charged with the development of the World’s great cities. A fortress mentality doesn’t create a liveable and safe urban environment. This fact is even more so when you consider that the Internet world knows no boundaries.

If nothing else this report should at least point to the fact that the great cities of Southeast Asia are moving in the right direction when it comes to the safety of its residents and visitors. Hopefully we will soon be celebrating even more Southeast Asian cities joining the list of top 50 Safest Cities in the World.

Following a highly successful 25-year career as a singer/songwriter and musician, Keith pulled out of the rat race and moved to Southeast Asia in 2008. First living in Thailand, he moved to Cambodia and then relocated to Ho Chi Minh City in early 2013. He started the Saigon Districts website, turning it into the fastest growing site in Vietnam. After careful consideration, he decided to cover not just Vietnam but the whole region that he loves so dearly. Keith has had work published in magazines and websites in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. He has written for the BBC and has appeared on TV and radio in many different countries. His great loves are music and travel, but he writes on a whole range of subjects. InSeAsia.com is a labour of love as Keith travels round the region garnering subject matter. Read more about the website here.