As a woman living in the UK, which is generally considered one of the most well-developed countries in the world, you probably consider yourself pretty lucky.

Of course, we have our own issues, but a free health service, democratic government and access to clean water are all things to be thankful for.

Well, not to be a downer, but we have some sobering news for you. The UK doesn’t even make it in to the top ten safest places to live in the world, if you’re a woman, anyway.

Global market research group, New World Wealth, have released their annual Global Wealth Migration Review for 2018, which looks at the movement of high net worth individuals across the world and have come up with some interesting findings.

As part of analysing a country’s wealth, researchers look into how safe an environment it is for its inhabitants, and in this case specifically women.

The report explains, “Women’s safety is one of the best ways to gauge a country’s long term wealth growth potential, with a correlation of 92% between historic wealth growth and woman safety levels.

“This means that wealth growth is boosted by strong levels of woman safety in a country.”

The report looks at the percentage of each country’s female population and compares it to how many women have been victims of a serious crimes over the past year to determine which countries are the safest. 

Experts have narrowed it down to a top ten, with Australia taking the number one spot.

Australia is known for its high quality of life and has previously been voted home to the best city in the world, Melbourne.

In an annual ranking of 140 of the world’s best cities to live in, The Economist pitted cities against each other in five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Last year Melbourne came out on top and it looks like the whole country gets a thumbs-up for its low crime rates, too.

In second place is Malta. We would happily rate this Mediterranean gem for its beautiful scenery and sandy beaches, but we’re pleasantly surprised it’s such a positive place to be as a woman. 

Other countries on the list include Iceland and New Zealand, but there’s absolutely no mention of the UK.

Sadly, this shouldn’t be a huge surprise. The UK has continually been criticised for not doing enough for women, with Plan International UK releasing a report last year that showed the extent of harassment females are subjected to from a young age.

“Our research found that overall the UK is failing girls,” said Lucy Russell, the UK girls’ rights campaign manager for Plan International UK and lead author on the study. “It’s clear that despite being one of the richest, most developed countries in the world, girls don’t have equal rights and equal life chances across the UK.”

“What we’ve heard from girls in our research is that girls are facing daily harassment in school – in the classroom and on the way to and from school,” she says.

“They need to use technology, but they don’t always feel safe to do that. They’re scared every day on the street, they have certain things they don’t do and places they don’t go.”

New World Wealth may not have put the UK in the running for safest places to live as a woman, but Britain wasn’t among the worst either. The report found that the least safe countries in the world for women in 2017 include Somalia, Sudan, Iraq and Syria.

See the full list of the 10 safest places to live as a woman below: 

1. Australia

2. Malta

3. Iceland

4. New Zealand

5. Canada

6. Poland

7. Monaco

8. Israel

9. USA

10. South Korea

Of course, these findings are the results of just one private consultancy business, so we wouldn’t suggest fleeing the country straight away, but it’s certainly some poignant food for thought. 

Images: iStock