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The 10 most ‘risky’ cities in the world have been revealed for 2024

Urban areas in Venezuela, Pakistan and Myanmar come with a safety warning

Natalie Wilson
Thursday 18 July 2024 11:37 BST
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Caracas in Venezuela was given a 100 risk score
Caracas in Venezuela was given a 100 risk score (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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The world’s most “risky” cities for tourists to visit in 2024 have been revealed in a new study.

Cities in Venezuela, Pakistan and Myanmar were named as the most dangerous destinations for overseas travellers in rankings by Forbes Advisor.

The study compared 60 international cities on seven risk categories, including crime, personal security, health, infrastructure, natural disaster and digital security to create a travel safety rating.

Scores out of 100 were then calculated to reflect the overall risk to travellers visiting the city.

City breaks to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, posed the most severe risk for travellers. It is the only city to receive a full 100 score for danger.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to parts of Venezuela.

“There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals,” say the FCDO.

In another country featuring on the “do not travel” list, Pakistan’s Karachi was deemed the second most threatening city to tourists due to the terrorism risk in the region.

With a 91.67 score, in third Yangon, Myanmar, showed a high risk of identity theft, natural disasters and a poor quality of healthcare services.

At the other end of the scale, Singapore was found to be the safest city for tourists to visit.

The southeast Asian country received a 0 risk score for its low natural disaster, health security and infrastructure threat.

The second safest of the cities assessed was Tokyo in Japan, while Toronto in Canada took third place – both graded with danger scores under 15 for visiting travellers.

The top 10 risky cities for tourists

  1. Caracas, Venezuela – 100 risk score
  2. Karachi, Pakistan – 93.12 risk score
  3. Yangon, Myanmar – 91.67 risk score
  4. Lagos, Nigeria – 91.54 risk score
  5. Manila, Philippines – 91.49 risk score
  6. Dhaka, Bangladesh – 89.5 risk score
  7. Bogota, Colombia – 86.7 risk score
  8. Cairo, Egypt – 83.44 risk score
  9. Mexico City, Mexico – 82.43 risk score
  10. Quito, Ecuador – 82.02 risk score

For more travel news and advice listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.

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