Safest Cities in the World (2026)
Ranked by composite safety index — combining crime data, night walking safety, worry-about-crime scores, and healthcare quality — using real data from 300+ cities worldwide.
Key findings
- Sapporo, Japan tops our 2026 safety ranking with a safety index of 93/100.
- The average safety index across our top 15 is 86/100 — significantly above the global city average of roughly 45–55.
- Even in the safest cities, there's a 7-point gap between day and night walking safety — context that matters for solo travelers.
- 8 in Asia, 3 in Middle East — East Asia and Europe lead global safety rankings.
- 9 of the 15 safest cities also score 70+ on healthcare quality — safety and medical access tend to correlate.
The safest cities at a glance
- 1.Sapporo, Japan93/100
- 2.Nagoya, Japan91/100
- 3.Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates89/100
- 4.Suzhou, China89/100
- 5.Hue, Vietnam88/100
- 6.Kyoto, Japan86/100
- 7.Fukuoka, Japan85/100
- 8.Doha, Qatar85/100
- 9.Dubai, United Arab Emirates84/100
- 10.Taipei, Taiwan84/100
- 11.Kotor, Montenegro83/100
- 12.Queenstown, New Zealand83/100
- 13.Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka82/100
- 14.Ajaccio, France82/100
- 15.Dubrovnik, Croatia82/100
Source: Novad composite safety index — Numbeo, government crime statistics, resident surveys (Feb 2026). Higher is safer.
How We Ranked These Cities
Each city's safety index is a weighted composite of seven metrics: overall safety perception, crime level (inverted — lower crime means higher score), safety walking alone during the day, safety walking alone at night, worry about mugging or robbery (inverted), worry about physical attack (inverted), and healthcare quality index.
Data is sourced from Numbeo safety and crime indices, government-published crime statistics, and resident-reported surveys with a minimum sample size of 50 responses per city. Each metric is normalized to a 0–100 scale and weighted: night walking safety receives extra weight because it is the metric most correlated with expat and solo-traveler satisfaction in our research.
Inclusion criteria: a city must have safety data across at least five of the seven metrics and a published city guide on Novad. Of the 300+ cities in our database, 20 met these thresholds. All scores reflect the most recent data available as of February 2026.
Limitations: safety is inherently subjective and varies by neighborhood, time of day, and personal circumstances. Our index captures reported perceptions and official statistics — it does not account for unreported crime. Natural disaster risk and political stability are not included. See our full methodology page for weighting details and data collection process.
What “Safe” Actually Means (and Doesn't)
Safety rankings compress a messy reality into clean numbers. Before you make decisions based on them, here's what to keep in mind.
No city is uniformly safe. Even the #1 city has neighborhoods where you should be more cautious after dark. Our index captures city-wide averages — it can't tell you which street to avoid at 2 AM. Each city guide on Novad includes neighborhood-level notes from people who actually live there.
Perception ≠ statistics. Some cities feel dangerous but have low crime rates (São Paulo's business district, for instance). Others feel safe but have meaningful petty crime (Barcelona). Our index combines both statistical crime data and resident-reported perception to capture both sides.
Safety needs differ by traveler. A solo female traveler, a family with young children, and a group of friends on a month-long stay have different safety priorities. We include a dedicated solo female travelers section below because night-walking safety weighs differently for different people.
Sapporo, Japan
Safety index
93/100
Crime level
4
Night safety
89/100
Healthcare
90/100
What makes Sapporo the safest city in 2026? It's not one thing — it's the absence of problems across the board. Safety index: 93/100. Crime level: just 4 out of 100 (lower is better) — among the lowest in the world. The gap between day and night safety is tiny, which is rare — most cities drop 15–20 points after dark.
Healthcare scores 90/100, which matters more than most people think — access to good medical care is part of feeling safe. The tradeoff? Living here costs $1,225/month, which is surprisingly reasonable for the safest city on the list.
Nagoya, Japan
Safety index
91/100
Crime level
0
Night safety
91/100
Healthcare
85/100
Neck and neck with Sapporo — just 2 points separate them. But the experience is quite different.
Crime sits at 0/100. Night walking: 91/100 — actually higher than #1 Sapporo, so if nighttime safety is your priority, look here first. Monthly cost: $1,196.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Safety index
89/100
Crime level
7
Night safety
87/100
Healthcare
72/100
Abu Dhabi's strength isn't just low crime — it's the infrastructure behind the numbers. Healthcare quality hits 72/100, meaning you're not just safe from crime but well-covered if something goes wrong.
Crime: 7/100. The day-to-night safety drop is 5 points — tighter than average, meaning the city doesn't change character after dark. Cost of living: $2,254/month.
Suzhou, China
Safety index
89/100
Crime level
3
Night safety
82/100
Healthcare
67/100
An underrated pick. 89/100 on safety, but at $741/month it's one of the most affordable cities in the top five — a rare combo.
Night safety scores 82/100. Crime: 3/100. Healthcare: 67/100.
Hue, Vietnam
Safety index
88/100
Crime level
6
Night safety
94/100
Healthcare
86/100
Closing out the top five, Hue earns its spot with consistency rather than any single standout metric. Safety: 88/100. Crime: 6/100. Night safety: 94/100. Healthcare: 86/100.
Monthly cost: $309. No single number jumps off the page, but nothing is weak either — and that kind of balanced safety profile is exactly what long-term residents look for.
Kyoto, Japan
Safety index
86/100
Crime level
9
Night safety
83/100
Healthcare
86/100
86/100 overall, 83/100 at night, 86/100 on healthcare — all at $1,318/month.
Fukuoka, Japan
Safety index
85/100
Crime level
12
Night safety
75/100
Healthcare
84/100
Safety index: 85/100 — 0 points behind #6 Kyoto. Crime: 12. Night: 75/100. Cost: $1,283/mo.
Doha, Qatar
Safety index
85/100
Crime level
10
Night safety
82/100
Healthcare
74/100
Doha consistently appears in expat safety discussions for good reason. Overall safety: 85/100. Day/night gap: 5 points. Monthly budget: $2,396.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Safety index
84/100
Crime level
12
Night safety
83/100
Healthcare
70/100
84/100 overall, 83/100 at night, 70/100 on healthcare — all at $2,873/month.
Taipei, Taiwan
Safety index
84/100
Crime level
11
Night safety
85/100
Healthcare
87/100
Safety index: 84/100 — 0 points behind #9 Dubai. Crime: 11. Night: 85/100. Cost: $1,215/mo.
Kotor, Montenegro
Safety index
83/100
Crime level
16
Night safety
88/100
Healthcare
33/100
Kotor consistently appears in expat safety discussions for good reason. Overall safety: 83/100. Day/night gap: 6 points. Monthly budget: $1,808.
Queenstown, New Zealand
Safety index
83/100
Crime level
12
Night safety
75/100
Healthcare
72/100
83/100 overall, 75/100 at night, 72/100 on healthcare — all at $3,066/month.
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Safety index
82/100
Crime level
N/A
Night safety
N/A
Healthcare
61/100
Safety index: 82/100 — 0 points behind #12 Queenstown. Cost: $432/mo.
Ajaccio, France
Safety index
82/100
Crime level
15
Night safety
90/100
Healthcare
58/100
Ajaccio consistently appears in expat safety discussions for good reason. Overall safety: 82/100. Day/night gap: 8 points. Monthly budget: $2,907.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Safety index
82/100
Crime level
9
Night safety
86/100
Healthcare
58/100
82/100 overall, 86/100 at night, 58/100 on healthcare — all at $2,744/month.
Safety is personal. What feels safe to you? Take the free Novad quiz — we match you with cities based on how you want to feel.
Safest Cities for Solo Female Travelers
Ranked by night walking safety score — the metric that matters most when traveling alone.
| City | Night safety | Day safety | Safety index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hue, Vietnam | 94/100 | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 91/100 | 98/100 | 91/100 |
| Ajaccio, France | 90/100 | 98/100 | 82/100 |
| Sapporo, Japan | 89/100 | 93/100 | 93/100 |
| Kotor, Montenegro | 88/100 | 94/100 | 83/100 |
Source: Novad analysis of Numbeo safety data, resident surveys (Feb 2026). Night safety weighted heavily as the strongest predictor of solo traveler comfort.
Honorable Mentions
Not sure which city is right for you?
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Why trust this data
This ranking is produced by the Novad data team using a composite of seven independently sourced safety metrics. Every data point — from crime rates to walking-at-night perception — is cross-referenced against at least two independent sources (Numbeo safety indices, government crime statistics, and resident surveys with 50+ respondents per city) before it enters our scoring model.
Rankings are updated when underlying data changes materially (typically monthly). We have no commercial relationship with any city, tourism board, or relocation agency — rankings are determined purely by data. If you spot an error, email hello@novad.app and we'll investigate within 48 hours.
Read our full data collection and scoring methodology for weighting details, normalization, and update cadence.