Malaysia has been featured favourably in many global studies and publications this year, including being the most loved country in Asia, having the 3rd happiest population aged under 30 in Asia and being Asia’s 6th most prosperous country.
Unfortunately, this article details a recent report about our country that’s on the less-favourable side of things, whereby the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur has just been named the 5th most dangerous city in Southeast Asia for tourists to visit.
Forbes Advisor’s riskiest cities for tourists in the world ranking
In the latest comprehensive study by Forbes Advisor on travel insurance for American citizens, the publication also ranked the most and least risky cities for tourists to visit.
The study ranked 60 cities globally based on 7 metrics, though only 5 metrics were mentioned, namely:
- Crime risk – The overall level of crime in each city
- Personal security risk – The risk from crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters and economic vulnerabilities
- Health security risk – The level and quality of healthcare services and infrastructure in a city
- Infrastructure security risk – The availability and quality of city infrastructure and its vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters
- Digital security risk – Citizens’ ability to freely use the internet without fear of privacy violations, identity theft and online attacks
Kuala Lumpur named 5th most dangerous city in Southeast Asia
In the index, Kuala Lumpur placed 29th globally with a total score of 55.36 out of 100.
As for the specific metrics, we ranked 15th in the crime risk, 28th in personal security risk, 23rd in health security risk, 24th in infrastructure security risk, and 17th in digital security risk.
Regionally, Kuala Lumpur was ranked the 5th most dangerous city in Southeast Asia to visit, with the top 6 most risky cities in the region being:
- Yangon, Myanmar (3rd globally)
- Manila, Phillippines (5th globally)
- Jakarta, Indonesia (11th globally)
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (20th globally)
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (29th globally)
- Bangkok, Thailand (30th globally)
On the other end of the spectrum, Singapore was named the safest city globally for tourists, followed by Japan’s Tokyo in 2nd place and Canada’s Toronto in 3rd.
So, what do you guys make of Kuala Lumpur’s placement in the ranking? Do you agree with the index? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!