Phnom Penh now worst Asian city for expats' personal safety

The Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh has now been rated as the worst Asian city for personal safety.

The 21st edition of the respected Mercers’ Quality of Living survey has slammed Phnom Penh as the worst city in Asia for expats looking for personal safety as an essential requirement. Due to escalating terrorism, gun crime and street violence risks across many popular expat destinations, this year’s Mercers report contains a specific Personal Safety sector intended to influence would-be expats’ decisions as regards taking on relocations.

Phnom Penh’s appalling ranking at 199th came in the East and Southeast Asian grouping, with Yangon just one point higher. The shock rating puts the Cambodian capital just above Haiti’s infamously crime-ridden Port au Prince, although its critical status with the US State Department’s report seems to mainly involve bag-snatching and pickpocketing, whereas the Mercers’ report takes in law enforcement, freedom of the press and personal freedom. In spite of the rating, some 160,000 or so foreign workers are living in Phnom Penh and many expat retirees have recently arrived from Thailand after yet more unpopular changes in visa requirements.

For expats considering a move to Southeast Asia, the majority of its sizeable cities received poor ratings in the survey when compared with their East Asian counterparts. Unsurprisingly, Singapore’s rating topped the list, and the mainland Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou all outranked cities such as Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, all of which stayed clustered below the 165th ranking. As with several other recent surveys, political stability is beginning to be the elephant in the room for expat professionals deciding on the best destination for another bout of career-building.