As much as all of us have our many gripes about Singapore (weather, government, societal backwardness, and shitty MyDonald’s cheese fries, for example), one thing we can all be happy about is the fact that it’s one of the safest countries on earth.
For the third year in a row, Singapore remains in the top three safest cities in the world, according to The Economist’s latest Safe Cities Index. Scoring the number two spot, the republic is barely beaten to the punch by Tokyo, the city that’s considered the safest in the world due to the capital’s robust performance in digital security and health security.
Osaka comes in after Singapore at third place, while Toronto and Melbourne make fourth and fifth respectively. Asian and European cities continue to dominate the top ten on the list, with Tokyo, Singapore, Osaka, and Hong Kong representing East Asia while Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Zurich wave the European flag high.
Asian cities are in the top tier for a reason; it all boils down to Asian values. “It’s natural that Asian cities would come up at the top, particularly in Japan — there’s a cultural component to it,” said John Rossant, chairman of the Paris-based New Cities Foundation.
The latest index sees 60 cities stacked up against one another — many of which The Economist noted that security levels have fallen since 2015. New York (#21) is down 11 places; Lima (#44) is down one; Ho Chi Minh City (#56) is down ten; Jakarta (#57) is down 13. With the exception of Singapore, Southeast Asian cities aren’t cracking the top half of the index, with regional neighbors Kuala Lumpur sitting at the 31st spot, Bangkok at the 49th spot, and Manila even lower at 55th place.
The index itself is based on matters such as digital security (defense against cyber threats), health security (adequate access to healthcare), infrastructure security (investment in structural safety) and personal security (protection from terrorism and other crimes). Singapore, in particular, scored the highest in the world in terms of personal security.
“…across all cities, the need for a more integrated approach is only set to increase as shifting demographics — from population growth to migration patterns — and climate change risk put increasing pressure on urban infrastructure and economic and social systems,” the study concluded.
