Karachi named second most unsafe city in the world

KARACHI: Forbes Advisor has listed Karachi as the second most dangerous city for tourists in its 2024 ranking, with Caracas, Venezuela, holding the top spot.

The evaluation assessed 60 global destinations across seven key risk factors: crime, personal safety, health, infrastructure, natural disasters, and digital security. Karachi scored 93.12 for safety, narrowly trailing behind Caracas, which received a score of 100.

Yangon, Myanmar, has been ranked third with a safety score of 91.67. The list also features Lagos, Nigeria; Manila, Philippines; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Bogota, Colombia; Cairo, Egypt; Mexico City, Mexico; and Quito, Ecuador.

Forbes’ analysis identified political instability, high crime rates, and inadequate health and infrastructure facilities as key factors contributing to Karachi’s high-risk designation. Tourists in Karachi are especially susceptible to street crimes and terrorism-related incidents.

Additionally, the city faces challenges such as poor public transport, sanitation issues, and frequent power outages, which further affect its safety profile.

This ranking is part of Forbes’ extensive study designed to provide travelers with crucial information about potential risks when selecting travel destinations. In contrast, Singapore has been named the safest city for tourists, achieving a perfect score of 0, with Tokyo, Japan, and Toronto, Canada, following with a low-risk score

The report noted that Karachi had the second worst travel safety rating (Level 3: Reconsider Travel) from the US State Department. Additionally, the ranking indicated that the city faced the fourth-highest infrastructure security risk, highlighting concerns about the availability and quality of its infrastructure.

The top 10 most dangerous cities for tourists according to Forbes Advisor are:

1. Caracas, Venezuela
2. Karachi, Pakistan
3. Yangon, Myanmar
4. Lagos, Nigeria
5. Manila, Philippines
6. Dhaka, Bangladesh
7. Bogota, Colombia
8. Cairo, Egypt
9. Mexico City, Mexico
10. Quito, Ecuador

Whereas, the top 10 safest cities for tourists are:

1. Singapore
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6. Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Seoul, South Korea
8. Osaka, Japan
9. Melbourne, Australia
10. Amsterdam, Netherlands