10 safest cities in the world for Expats

There are many factors which are considered when planning a move overseas. Location, weather, salary & compensation are common areas, but for expatriates with families, principle among these considerations is safety.

Most people consider safety in terms of crime level. But there are many other important dynamics terrorism, political unrest, social disorder, and even natural disasters need to be part of the equation.

There are several online studies and surveys which look into safety levels of various cities around the world, this has a major bearing on quality of life reports that are often used to help multinational companies plan their key operations and International moving and employee assignments.

10 – Wellington, New Zealand

Most parts of New Zealand especially in rural areas have extremely low crime rates. Whilst Wellington does have the reputation for crime and violence, when compared to the majority of international cities Wellington is very safe.  Alcohol is responsible for many of the problems in the city however this has reduced in recent years as the city has clamped down on drinking alcohol in public places. Wellington has a very good public transport system which means travelling around the city at night is relatively safe however there are of course areas of the city best avoided.

9 – Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand’s biggest city in terms of population is extremely safe and welcoming it has  a great requirement and is a fantastic place to work with plenty of opportunities there petty crimes such as pick pocketing it Can be a problem as can suffering from automobiles which can occur quite frequently. Alcohol related violence installation especially around the bass trips and part of areas where especially late night/early morning. It’s advisable.

8 – Singapore, Singapore

This modern-day bustling city state is one of the safest cities in the world. It’s also the highest rated Asian city. Despite the cultural diversity, the social outlook is a fairly conservative across-the-board. With the exception of petty theft and the occasional financial scam, crime is extremely rare and violent crime is virtually non-existent. This is of course in part because of the countries laws and the strict consequences criminals face if convicted.

7 – Stockholm, Sweden

The cultural and economic capital of Sweden and home to over 2 million people in the metropolitan is 7th on the list. Again the main problem is likely to be scams and petty theft. Taxi scams can be a problem, but is fairly easily avoided. In the last year however, sexual assaults and hate crimes have started to increase. Some politicians and social commentators have linked this to the increase in the immigrant population

6 – Geneva, Switzerland

Yet another Swiss city, which makes it into the top 10. According to a 2015 report 4 out of every 5 families stated they felt safer in Switzerland than in their home country. Car theft and pick pocketing are the most common crimes. Markets, crowded shopping centers, tourist areas in particular the Lake Geneva promenade are places most likely to experience pick pocketing. Thieves are believed to target the many affluent residents and visitors.

5 – Vienna, Austria

Vienna seems to have it all – Romance, rich history, architecture, delicious cuisine and a thriving economy. It is also extremely safe. Petty crime such as purse snatching, pick pocketing and rather unusual scams, which can involves bogus plainclothes police, account for most crime. Vienna has talked Quality of life rankings for many years still remains a very safe place to live.

4 – Zurich, Switzerland

Whilst it may be one of the most expensive cities in the world to live Zurich ranks extremely high in almost every area of life, including education, healthcare, recreation and of course safety. Murder rate is one of the lowest in Europe and burglary is quite unusual. Apart from petty crime and the occasional football riot, life in Zurich is very peaceful and safe.

3 – Helsinki, Finland

This capital city’s popularity has grown rapidly with very high standards in education and healthcare, but it is incredibly safe. Certain parts of the city should really be avoided at night but one of the biggest threats is the icy condition of the roads, which often are the cause of road accidents, a percentage of which are fatal

2 – Bern, Switzerland

With a stable political system and high per capita GDP, Switzerland on the whole is a very safe country, As with Zurich, Bern suffers purse snatching and pick pocketing against expats and especially tourists. The city is more divers with around 34% of the population from other European cities. There can be rental scams, which are designed to catch out new arrivals but other than that Bern is a blissfully safe city to live in.

1 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg

The safest city in the world to live as an expat is Luxembourg. Bag snatching is a possibility especially in an area called the Gare where the high speed trains depart/arrive to/from Paris. Keep your bag and valuables close to you. Also the summer Schubefouer event sees and increase in crime, but other than that Luxembourg is extremely safe.