The world's safest cities to visit in 2022

In 2022, the Berkshire Hathaway insurance company composed a list of the safest cities in the world. To get to this result, it asked 1200 American travelers to rate 23 cities from 0 to 100.

The insurer combined the travelers' data with the Current Crime Index of Numbeo, the safe-cities index from The Economist, and the city ratings from GeoSure Global.

General rating: 78.7/100

First on the list is the Canadian city of Montréal. Travelers told Berkshire Hathaway that it is second to Amsterdam in terms of LGBTQ+ safety. Located in the French-speaking part of Canada, it has a beautiful waterfront and neighborhoods that can be safely explored on foot or through highly rated public transportation.

Image: Boyan Lepoev / Unsplash

General rating: 75.6/100

Amsterdam joins Montréal at the top of the ranking on many subjects, such as terrorism and transportation safety. In the end, however, the Canadian city scores better among millennials and has a slightly higher rating for health care.

General rating: 73.8/100

Berkshire Hathaway cites the Japanese capital's "reputation for cleanliness and safety." In general, the country has been an example in the fight against COVID-19. In addition, it is considered a very safe place for the LGTBIQ+ community.

General rating: 72.6/100

As Berkshire Hathaway says, "Singapore’s dedication to safety (and rule-following) is well-known. It’s one of the cleanest cities on the planet, and one of the best-policed. That really resonates with our travelers, in addition to GeoSure and Numbeo."

General rating: 62.1

Sydney is ranked highly but still a full 10 points lower than Singapore. That's because it doesn't enter the top 10 in LGBTQ+ safety at all and also scores a bit lower than the rest in health measures. On the other hand, among people of color and in terms of violent crime, Sydney is one of the safest.

General rating: 65.5/100

London is a welcoming city that respects basic freedoms, but it needs to improve its nightlife and health, travelers and researchers say. Still, according to this ranking by Berkshire Hathaway, London is the sixth safest city in the world.

General rating: 65.5/100

Among travelers with a little extra pocket money, Barcelona is a popular city. Other than that, it owes its place in the top 10 of safest cities to the fact that "GeoSure and The Economist are big fans," the Berkshire Hathaway reports says.

General rating: 65.0/100

According to the Numbeo Crime Index, Hong Kong is very safe - it even beats Tokyo. On the other hand, the travelers' survey doesn't put Hong Kong in the top 10 for safety at all. So the eighth place for this special administrative region of China is mostly thanks to the specialists and not the travelers themselves.

General rating: 64.5/100

In the German capital, basic freedoms are guaranteed for any tourist. Travelers value Berlin's medical care a bit lower, but the responses in the survey are mixed on that front. (It is worth noting that many evaluators are American travelers whose private insurance partly determines the level of public health they can access in foreign countries.)

General rating: 64.5/100

The Numbeo Crime Index gives Rome a low number, but travelers rate it highly. In fact, the Italian capital would be in fourth place if it depended on travelers' estimates of women's, LGBTQ+, and people of color's safety, as well as health measures.