These are the most (& least) safe destinations for women solo travellers, according to a new study

By Kristin Mariano On Oct 13, 2023

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The study by the travel experts at Bounce analysed countries around the world on factors such as attitudes towards violence against women, how safe women feel alone at night, and wider gender equality indicators to reveal the safest (& least safe) destinations for women travelling alone.

The top 10 safest countries for solo women travellers 2023:

Rank	Country	Percentage of women who have experienced violence*	Female homicide victims (per 100,000 females)	Safety Index Score (out of 100)	Women who feel safe walking alone at night	Attitudes toward violence against women**	Laws on domestic violence (0 = best, 1 = worst)	Global Gender Gap Index score (out of 1)	Overall Safety Score /10
1	Spain	15.0%	0.4	64.2	78%	9.6%	0.3	0.791	7.45
2	Norway	20.0%	0.6	67.5	83%	11.1%	0.3	0.879	7.41
3	Netherlands	21.0%	0.4	73.8	73%	7.1%	0.3	0.777	7.14
4	Republic of Ireland	16.0%	0.3	53.9	68%	1.4%	0.8	0.795	6.92
5	Austria	15.0%	0.9	72.4	79%	4.0%	0.3	0.740	6.83
6	Slovenia	18.0%	0.6	75.8	78%	17.1%	0.3	0.773	6.74
7	Switzerland	12.0%	0.6	75.1	81%	14.1%	0.5	0.783	6.65
8	Belgium	22.0%	0.2	51.1	58%	2.5%	0.3	0.796	6.56
9	Portugal	18.0%	0.6	69.3	62%	2.5%	0.5	0.765	6.25
10	Sweden	21.0%	0.5	51.9	64%	13.1%	0.3	0.815	5.94

*Percentage of women who have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.

**Percentage of women who agree that a husband/partner is justified in beating their wife/partner under certain circumstances.

The safest country for solo women travelers is Spain, with an overall safety score of 7.45 out of 10. Spain was amongst the top-scoring nations for four of the seven factors analyzed. Scoring 9.6% for its acceptance of violence against women and the laws it has in place to protect women from violence, scored 0.3 out of 1.

The second safest country on the list for women traveling alone is Norway, with an overall safety score of 7.41 out of 10. Scoring highly for the safety of women walking alone at night (83%), its female homicide rate (0.6 per 100,000 people), and a high gender gap index score (0.879 out of 1). Norway’s capital Oslo is known for being a very safe city with low crime rates.

The third safest destination for solo women travellers is the Netherlands, with an overall safety score of 7.14 out of 10. The country scores particularly high when it comes to its strong laws against domestic violence. It’s also generally a safe country for all genders, with low crime rates and a score of 73.8 out of 100 for its safety.

The UK ranked 14th on the list with an overall safety score of 5.49.

The top 5 least safest countries for solo women travellers 2023:

Rank	Country	Percentage of women who have experienced violence*	Female homicide victims (per 100,000 females)	Safety Index Score (out of 100)	Women who feel safe walking alone at night	Attitudes toward violence against women**	Laws on domestic violence (0 = best, 1 = worst)	Global Gender Gap Index score (out of 1)	Overall Safety Score /10
1	Colombia	30.0%	4.1	39.2	41%	12.3%	0.3	0.751	2.23
2	Mexico	24.0%	6.2	45.9	42%	31.8%	0.0	0.765	2.50
3	United States	26.0%	2.9	50.8	62%	13.9%	0.3

These are the most (& least) safe destinations for women solo travellers, according to a new study

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