Aside from the devastating events that have taken place recently, most people would agree that life in Sydney is pretty safe – relative to other places across the world. And now, that theory has been validated, with the annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report listing Sydney as the fourth safest city in the world for travellers. Not the first time Sydney has ranked highly in safety studies in recent times.
Top of the list of the world’s safest cities was Hawaiian capital Honolulu, which appeared behind Sydney on a recent round-up of the most relaxed cities in the world.
The methodology used to determine the list involved analysing a combo of traveller survey responses along with third-party data sources to evaluate weather emergencies, health measures, terrorism and the safety of underrepresented groups. Based on the data, our Harbour City came out as the fourth safest city in the world. On the list of the world’s safest countries, the lucky country came in at number ten. Despite Australia ranking within the world’s safest countries, Sydney was the only Australian city to appear in the list of the world’s 15 safest cities, appearing behind Honolulu, Montreal and Reykjavik.
Last year, Australia ranked as the fourth safest country in the world in the same report, and we suspect the climate crisis might have something to do with our fall in the rankings, with authors listing our weak ozone layer as a danger for travellers visiting us Down Under.
According to the report, Australia has a notably low number of homicides (a still heartbreaking 377 in 2022, compared with a devastating 692 during the same year in Chicago).
The report lists wildlife as the main danger to look out for in Australia, quoting the State Department who say ““Australian fauna can be dangerous. From jellyfish to crocodiles, sharks, poisonous insects, and snakes, the continent and its waters host wildlife that merit awe and respect in equal doses.”
And while Australia as a whole might have fallen in the rankings, it looks like visiting Sydney is regarded as safer – with the Emerald City jumping from the tenth safest city in 2023 to number four in 2024. After what Sydney has gone through in the past weeks, here’s hoping it’s true.
You can read the full list of the world’s safest cities here, and find more info on the safest countries to travel to in 2024 over here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.