Hong Kong is eighth safest city in world overall, but ranks badly when it comes to personal and environmental security
- City rebounds from 20th position in 2019 on list compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit
- Copenhagen named safest city ahead of Toronto and Singapore. Beijing falls to 36th, while Taipei is 24th
Hong Kong is the eighth safest city in the world but does badly when it comes to personal and environmental security, according to a new set of rankings released by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
In its fourth set of rankings based on urban safety, the EIU put Copenhagen top of the list, ahead of Toronto and Singapore. Beijing, which was 31st two years ago, slipped to 36th, while Taipei was 24th.
For the first time, 60 cities across five continents were assessed for environmental security, alongside the usual categories of digital security, infrastructure, health and personal security.
According to the report, which was released last week, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the whole concept of urban safety.
“Agencies responsible for personal security need to address a large, lockdown-driven shift in crime patterns; and the priority that urban residents and officials assign to environmental security has risen markedly as Covid-19 serves as a stark warning of unexpected crises,” it said.
