Revealed: South Africa is in the world’s ‘top five most dangerous countries’

For many people, merely existing in South Africa is classed as an extreme sport – and these latest figures from the Global Law and Order Index seem to support that notion. Mzansi has been classed as the ‘fifth most dangerous country in the world’ this week, as confidence in policing and personal safety remains significantly low.

South Africa classed as one of the most dangerous countries

The new report offers a baseline for the world’s security in the post-pandemic world and how the planet moves forward amid global civil unrest related to law enforcement. Analytics company Gallup always release their findings annually, asking respondents in 144 countries the following four questions:

  • In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?
  • Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
  • Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?
  • Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?

List: Most dangerous countries in the world

The responses to these queries are particularly damning for South Africa. Although Afghanistan maintains a clear lead as the ‘most dangerous country’ outright, Gabon, Venezuela, and Liberia are all separated by just two points. SA completes the top five, recording a miserly 57 out of 100 on the Law and Order Index.

Rank Most Dangerous Countries Law and Order Index Score (out of 100)
1 Afghanistan 43
2 Gabon 52
3 Venezuela 54
4 Liberia 54
5 South Africa 57
6 Gambia 58
7 Uganda 59
8 Sierra Leone 60
9 Botswana 61
10 Mexico 61

Meanwhile, at the top of the table…

For those of you wondering how the other half live, these countries have been ranked as the safest on the planet:

Rank Safest Countries Law and Order Index Score (out of 100)
1 Singapore 97
2 Turkmenistan 97
3 China 94
4 Iceland 93
5 Kuwait 93
6 Norway 92
7 Austria 92
8 Switzerland 92
9 Uzebkistan 92
10 United Arab Emirates 92

South Africa: Citizens reveal fears of ‘being out at night’

To further rub salt in the wounds, Gallup also polled participants on how safe they feel walking alone at night. South Africa tanked this round as well, taking its place in the bottom four – tied with Venezuala – as just 29% of people would take a solo journey on foot in our country once the sun goes down. The pollsters revealed more about the trends this week:

“Except for Afghanistan, the countries in which residents are least likely to say they feel safe walking alone at night are exclusively countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.”

“Eight of them also ranked among the least safe in 2018. The exceptions were Lesotho, which was not surveyed in 2018, and Namibia, which narrowly missed making the bottom of the list in 2018.”

Gallup

Which countries are the most dangerous to walk around at night?

(Based on percentage of people who said they feel confident to walk alone when it’s dark)

  • Brazil: 40%
  • Dominican Republic: 39%
  • Namibia: 39%
  • Botswana: 36%
  • Lesotho: 34%
  • Liberia: 33%
  • South Africa: 29%
  • Venezuela: 29%
  • Gabon: 28%
  • Afghanistan: 12%