Tiffany CondeNow that travellers are eyeing flights to international destinations to prepare for their future trips, the Safe Cities Index 2021 (SCI) couldn’t have arrived at a better time. The safest cities in the world for 2021 have been revealed, yet the results are not quite what some might expect from the top contenders.
This report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI) ranks 60 major cities across 76 indicators that relate to different aspects of security. These include personal security, health security, infrastructure security, digital security — and a new pillar introduced this year — environmental security.
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Copenhagen topped the rankings as the safest city in the world for 2021, gaining 82.4 out of 100 points across five pillars of urban safety. Hot on the Danish capital’s heels is Toronto, which clinched second place with a score of 82.4 points. Singapore came in third and fell one position from its second-place ranking in the 2019 report, while Tokyo dropped from first place in the 2019 charts to fifth place this year.
Check out the safest cities in the world, according to the Safe Cities Index 2021.
Top 10 safest cities in the world for 2021
1. Copenhagen
2. Toronto
3. Singapore
4. Sydney
5. Tokyo
6. Amsterdam
7. Wellington
8. Hong Kong
9. Melbourne
10. Stockholm
Why Singapore dropped to third place in the Safe Cities Index 2021
Image credit: Adhitya Andanu
Like the 2019 report, Asian and European cities continue to perform well in the rankings, with Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong representing East Asia; and Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Stockholm waving the flag for Europe. Not to be ignored are Sydney and Melbourne placing fourth and ninth place respectively for Australia and Wellington in seventh place for New Zealand as well.
Following the new category of environmental security, however, the Safe Cities Index 2021 has updated its criteria to highlight sustainability issues and climate adaptation measures. This change in the study’s methodology can explain why Singapore and Tokyo — two of the best-performing cities in the 2019 report — have taken a fall in the rankings for 2021.
See the cities that ranked the highest in each category of security below.
Image credit: EIU
Even though Singapore came in second place in three pillars — digital, health, and infrastructure — it ranked 37th place for environmental security, which affected its overall score. By contrast, Copenhagen and Toronto “performed noticeably better in the new environmental security pillar than did any of the top-three cities from earlier years,” according to the SCI.
For more information, read the comprehensive report here.
Also read: These Are the World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2021
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One thing’s for certain: Our understanding of safety and security across the world has changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Digital security, for instance, has become a pressing priority as more cities across the world adapt to remote work arrangements as the norm.
In a rapidly changing world, the Safe Cities Index 2021 paints a holistic view of global safety. So, which of these cities will you be marking for your travel plans next?
