Global sense of safety on the rise, but progress not uniform: Gallup

People around the world feel safer now than they did a decade ago, according to a new Gallup poll.

The company’s annual Global Safety Report asked 146,000 people whether they felt safe walking alone at night, and 70% said yes, up from 64% in 2013 although down from a 2020 peak of 72%.

Progress has not been uniform: People in former Soviet states feel much safer than they did 20 years ago, but those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America noted a decline. Ecuador in particular, once relatively peaceful, is now the country where people feel least safe. On the flip side, El Salvador, ranked second last in Gallup’s 2016 poll, is tied for eighth following a controversial crackdown on gang violence.