Ahead of International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, research reveals the world’s safest countries for women to solo travel this summer. The study by Bounce analysed countries around the world on factors such as safety indexes, attitudes toward violence against women and wider gender equality indicators to reveal the safest countries for women solo travellers.
| Rank | Country | 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 | Republic of Ireland | 15.0% | 0.4 | 54.52 | 68% | 1.0% | 0.3 | 0.800 | 7.88 |
| 2 | Austria | 13.0% | 1.0 | 73.92 | 79% | 3.0% | 0.3 | 0.777 | 7.70 |
| 3 | Norway | 27.0% | 0.3 | 66.15 | 83% | 9.9% | 0.3 | 0.849 | 7.45 |
| 4 | Slovenia | 13.0% | 0.5 | 77.35 | 78% | 15.8% | 0.3 | 0.741 | 7.19 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 9.8% | 0.7 | 78.32 | 81% | 15.2% | 0.8 | 0.798 | 7.01 |
| 6 | Spain | 13.0% | 0.5 | 66.13 | 78% | 9.6% | 0.5 | 0.788 | 6.97 |
| 7 | Portugal | 19.0% | 0.9 | 69.42 | 62% | 2.0% | 0.3 | 0.775 | 6.88 |
| 8 | Canada | 1.9% | 0.9 | 57.05 | 71% | 7.8% | 0.3 | 0.772 | 6.67 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 25.0% | 0.4 | 72.12 | 73% | 6.4% | 0.8 | 0.762 | 6.15 |
| 10 | Poland | 13.0% | 0.4 | 70.21 | 61% | 7.9% | 0.8 | 0.713 | 5.97 |
| 10 | Japan | 15.4% | 0.3 | 77.88 | 63% | 8.9% | 0.8 | 0.656 | 5.97 |
In first place is the Republic of Ireland with a safety score of 7.88 out of 10. The Emerald Isle scores particularly highly for the laws it has in place to protect women from violence, as well as its local attitudes toward violence against women. Ireland is well known for its friendly and welcoming nature and is popular with travelers for its natural beauty and historic attractions.
In second place is Austria, with an overall score of 7.70 out of 10. The country scores well when it comes to the percentage of women who feel safe walking alone at night (79%). Austria also has one of the highest safety index scores 73.92/100 of the countries studied.
Third place goes to Norway with a safety score of 7.45 out of 10. Norway scores highly for the safety of women walking alone at night, and its laws on domestic violence. More generally, Norway is known for being a very safe country with low crime rates and has long been an early adopter of legislation and policies supporting women’s rights.
