Safest Cities in the World (2026)

1SingaporeSingapore92

Walking home alone late at night is genuinely unremarkable in this city-state, with violent crime rare and petty theft minimal. Political stability and traffic safety are both excellent, and for families and solo movers alike this counts among the city's strongest cards. World-class hospitals and fluent English round it out, though thinner doctor coverage and out-of-pocket cost exposure make private insurance worth arranging.

2VaduzLiechtenstein90

Violent and petty crime barely register in this tiny Alpine principality, where streets feel secure day and night and the political backdrop stays rock-steady. For anyone ranking security above almost everything, few European places compare. Routine care is well covered, but specialist treatment often means crossing into Switzerland or Austria.

3KyotoJapan88

Safety here is close to absolute: violent crime is rare to the point of being a non-issue, late-night walks are unremarkable, and even petty theft stays low. Traffic is orderly and forgiving. Care quality is high and national insurance keeps costs low, but limited clinical English can turn appointments into translation work.

4ReykjavíkIceland88

Few capitals feel this secure: violent crime sits near the global floor, the streets are calm day and night, and the country ranks at the very top for political stability. Roads are safe too. Dependable healthcare and clinical English ease arrival, though thin doctor availability can stretch waits for non-urgent care.

5TokyoJapan88

Leave a bag and expect to find it untouched: violent crime is rare, petty theft uncommon, and the sense of security walking home late is close to absolute. Traffic is orderly and road deaths low. National insurance keeps care affordable, though stretched doctors and scarce English make treatment harder for foreigners.

6TrondheimNorway87

On a fjord in central Norway, this compact city keeps violent crime close to nonexistent, traffic calm, and late-night walks free of worry, with stable institutions underneath. Petty theft stays low. The public system holds out-of-pocket costs down and offers English-speaking staff, though finding a regular doctor can take some patience.

7AarhusDenmark86

Children roam and residents walk home late without a second thought in Denmark's second city, where violent crime is rare and traffic is calm for cyclists and pedestrians. Political stability is solid. Public healthcare is excellent and nearly free at the point of use, with staff who widely work in English.

8BernSwitzerland86

In the same elite bracket as Zurich for personal safety, Bern keeps violent crime rare, petty crime low, and late walks free of real concern, with calm traffic and stable national institutions behind it. Medical care is excellent, though the mandatory private insurance brings paperwork and out-of-pocket costs newcomers rarely expect.

9DohaQatar86

People routinely describe walking at night here without a second thought, with violent crime effectively a non-issue and political stability solid. The softer spot is the roads, where driving carries real risk. Hospital quality and access are good and English is spoken throughout, though thinner doctor numbers make private insurance matter more.

10EspooFinland86

Finland's second city places twelfth worldwide on measured safety, and it earns that on unglamorous things: low crime, orderly roads, and institutions nobody has to think about. Espoo was planned rather than grown, which shows in lit paths and short distances. Healthcare is competent and English-friendly, if staffed more thinly than the best-resourced systems.

11FukuokaJapan86

Bags left on cafe chairs and children moving around on their own are normal in this coastal Kyushu city, where violent crime is rare and traffic low-risk. Care is high quality and cheap under national insurance, but stretched doctors and genuinely scarce English mean appointments often need a translator or a Japanese-speaking friend along.

12Okinawa (Naha)Japan86

Sixth in the world on measured safety, this subtropical prefecture pairs Japan's low-crime norms with a slower, less pressured pace than the mainland. Locking up is close to a formality. The weakness is medical depth: 121st globally for healthcare, so complex cases point toward the larger hospitals in Naha or a flight north, and clinical English is limited.

13Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates85

Roads are well engineered and traffic enforcement strict, backing a city where violent and petty crime are both negligible and late-night walks are unremarkable. Political stability rests on a wealthy, tightly governed state. Modern hospitals are staffed by internationally trained, English-speaking doctors, though thin doctor ratios and private-insurance reliance shape cost exposure.

14BaselSwitzerland85

Negligible violent crime, reliable streets after dark, and deep political stability put Basel among the safest places to move, on the Rhine where three countries meet. Petty crime stays low. Medical care is excellent with English widely available, though the privately run Swiss insurance is genuinely complicated and out-of-pocket costs can bite.

15Hong KongHong Kong SAR85

Among the safest big cities anywhere, Hong Kong keeps violent crime rare, streets secure late at night, and traffic well managed, so residents move around with little daily worry. The one softer spot is political stability, sitting below regional peers like Singapore. Clinical quality is high and English usable, though thin doctor numbers mean long public-sector waits.

16LuganoSwitzerland85

Switzerland's deep political stability sits under this Italian-speaking lakeside city, where violent crime is rare, streets stay calm after dark, and traffic runs low-risk, matching the country's safest places. Care quality and emergency reliability are high, with hospitals within easy reach, though the system leans expensive and the mandatory insurance takes navigating.

17ZugSwitzerland85

This low-tax Swiss town treats personal safety as a non-issue: violent crime is negligible, petty crime rare, and walking after dark comfortable, with well-managed roads and a stable backdrop. Care quality, hospital access, and emergency reliability are all strong, and English is widely spoken, though the private-insurance admin takes getting used to.

18ZürichSwitzerland85

Petty theft stays low by European standards and violent crime is rare in Switzerland's financial capital, where streets are calm after dark and the political backdrop about as stable as it gets. Hospitals are top-tier with English-speaking doctors, but the mandatory private insurance is confusing to set up and can sting on cost.

19BergenNorway84

The case here is institutional rather than dramatic: national stability, well-regulated roads and a crime rate low enough to be uneventful put Bergen thirtieth in the world. Where it genuinely leads is healthcare, fourth globally, and that combination matters more with age. Expect rain, a small-city scale, and referral onward for the rarest specialisms.

20CopenhagenDenmark84

Streets feel secure after dark and traffic is managed with unusual care for cyclists and pedestrians, keeping violent crime rare even as petty theft persists in the tourist core. Its real edge is healthcare: high quality, minimal cost exposure, and far simpler to navigate than most European systems, with English widely spoken.