The Riskiest Destinations for Travelers—And The Safest

by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:00 AM ET, Wed July 17, 2024

Travelers have many concerns, but safety is often a major priority, especially for women and LGBTQ+ travelers. A recent Forbes Advisor study identified the riskiest places in the world to visit based on seven key criteria—and the destinations that ranked the safest.

The list analyzed 60 cities across the globe on a 100-point scale, 100 being the most severe risk for travelers. The criteria include risk for crime, personal security, health security, infrastructure security and digital security.

Curious to dive into the results? They just might surprise you.

The Riskiest Cities in the World to Visit

Caracas, Venezuela, south american cities

The riskiest city for travelers to visit is Caracas, Venezuela. Scoring the only 100 out of 100, the Venezuelan city offers the highest health security risk due to the low quality of healthcare available, the highest crime risk, the second highest infrastructure security risk and the second highest digital security risk. Venezuela as a whole is rated by the U.S. State Department as a Level 4: Do Not Travel risk due to “crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

The second-riskiest destination in the world is Karachi, Pakistan, which ranked 93.12 out of 100. It has the highest personal security risk due to crime, terrorist threats, economic vulnerabilities and even natural disasters. It also has the fourth highest infrastructure security risk. The State Department ranks Pakistan as a whole as a Level 3: Reconsider Travel, due to terrorism.

The third riskiest destination is Yangon, Myanmar. It scored 91.67 out of 100, and represented the highest digital security risk, the third highest personal security risk and the third highest health security risk. The State Department ranks Myanmar as a Level 4: Do Not Travel country, due to “civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws,” which have escalated since the February 2021 military takeover of the country.

The full list risky cities include (in descending order):

Caracas, Venezuela
Karachi, Pakistan
Yangon, Myanmar
Lagos, Nigeria
Manila, Philippines
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bogota, Colombia
Cairo, Egypt
Mexico City, Mexico
Quito, Ecuador

The Safest Cities in the World to Visit

Singapore Marina Bay area and CBD district at dusk.

Now what about the cities that ranked the least risky? Well, two of the top three safest cities are located in Asia, while the top ten safest include destinations from Asia to Australia and Europe.

The least risky city to visit in the world is Singapore, which scored a stunning 0 out of 100. It has the lowest natural disaster risk, the second lowest health security risk, the second lowest infrastructure security risk and the second lowest digital security risk. Singapore is rated by the State Department as a Level 1 security risk.

The second safest destination is Tokyo, Japan, which has a security score of 10.72 out of 100. The large metropolis offers the lowest health security risk and the fifth lowest infrastructure security risk. Japan is known for being quite safe, and the State Department ranks it as a Level 1 risk.

Leaving Asia, our third safest destination is Toronto, Canada. It scored 13.6 out of 100 and ranks with the fourth lowest infrastructure security risk and the seventh lowest health security risk, making it a great big city for travelers to visit with little safety concerns. Canada is also ranked as a Level 1 risk destination.

The full list of cities that ranked lowest on the security list (in ascending order from least risky) are as follows: