The Safest and Most Dangerous Places to Live in the World

As a prospective expat, it is wise to research which places in the world are safe and which places should be avoided. If you chose a safe place to live, it will make your overall quality of life better in the long run. Here is my list of the top three safest and dangerous places to live in the world:

Safest

Zurich

Zurich is one of the most peaceful cities in Europe, which is why it makes this list. Zurich has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe and overall, just has a very peaceful way of live. Many people postulate that Switzerland is overall safe given its strict immigration policy and anti-foreigner attitude. For this reason, it is even difficult for spouses to naturalize. In Zurich, families walk the streets late at night, one can see children playing outside, and there are very few robberies that take place. All in all, Zurich is a sensational place to raise a family.

Reykjavik

Reykjavik has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. What makes Iceland so peaceful is that it is very closed off and has a culture that has been preserved over the centuries. Iceland also has very close ties to other Scandinavian countries that have a very low crime rates overall. It is for this reason that Reykjavik is a very safe and amiable city to visit and live in.

Seoul

Seoul is the only city that I have lived in where I knew that if I left my purse in the open in a restaurant for the entire evening that it would be there the next morning not missing one item. In general, there is very little theft on the streets of Seoul and despite being at a perpetual standstill with North Korea since the Korean War, South Korea remains very safe. In fact, many of the locals do not even worry about North Korea given its proximity to Seoul, their main city.

Dangerous

Caracas

In 2015, there were 90 murders per every 100,000 habitants. This makes Caracas now one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The trouble with Caracas is that one cannot walk openly on the streets or go out past six in the evening. If one needs to go to work, they take armored cars and even then, sometimes there are still kidnapping attempts and bullet holes in the windows. This is caused by the lack of resources in the country and the harsh devaluation of the currency. The average Venezuela citizen makes $8 USD per month right now, which is why crime has sky rocked because the average citizen does not have the means to afford life’s basic necessities.

Damascus

Damascus, like Caracas, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world right now. In fact, one of the largest mass migrations in the world’s history is now taking place to evacuate Syria. European countries are being inundated with Syrian refugees, so much so, that they simply do not have space to accommodate all of them. What has made the situation in Syria complicated is many countries do not want to take them due to conflicting beliefs. However, many citizens have opted to be refugees in camps rather than endure the bombings in Damascus. This is a clear indication of how severe the conditions are within the country and why the United States just recently sent troops into Syria along with other European nations.

Cuidad Juarez

Cuidad Juarez is one of the most dangerous places on earth due to Mexico’s drug cartels. What makes this city so dangerous is that the Mexican government has imposed martial law on this city in order to maintain order and stop the violence. Cuidad Juarez is one of the main locales to get drugs in to the United States given that it is so close to the United States border. It is for this reason that Cuidad Juarez has a great deal of violence among the various drug cartels and their conflicts with the Mexican government.

Keeping this list in mind, it is wise to be prudent about where you are considering living and working. If you do this, you will be able to find a rewarding expatriate experience in the locale of your choice.