M’sia ranked 2nd least safe ASEAN country for walking alone at night, while S’pore tops list

Malaysia ranked 100th out of 150 countries for night-time safety, 2nd least safe in ASEAN

A recent global study by Gallup has found that Malaysia is among the least safe countries in ASEAN for people to walk alone at night, ranking second last in the region ahead of only Myanmar.

According to the survey, Malaysia placed 100th out of 150 countries worldwide based on the percentage of people who said they feel safe walking alone at night.

Within ASEAN, Myanmar recorded the lowest level of perceived safety, with just 41% of respondents saying they felt safe.

In contrast, Singapore topped both the regional and global rankings, with an impressive 98% expressing confidence about walking alone after dark.

Malaysia records widest gender gap in safety perception

The study also highlighted a striking gender divide in Malaysia’s perceptions of night-time safety — the widest in the world.

While 79% of Malaysian men said they feel safe walking alone at night, only 36% of women shared the same sentiment.

Elsewhere in the region, perceptions were generally more positive.

Vietnam ranked second in ASEAN with 88%, followed by Indonesia (83%), Thailand (70%), the Philippines (64%), Laos (63%), and Cambodia (62%).

Globally, about 73% of adults surveyed said they felt safe walking alone at night where they live.

“These are not just reactions to danger. They are the foundations that make lasting peace possible,” said Jon Clifton, Chief Executive Officer of Gallup. “How safe people feel is not just a reflection of peace; it is what makes peace possible.”

Netizens question the findings

The results have drawn mixed reactions online, with many Malaysians expressing scepticism.

One Facebook user joked that it’s indeed “very dangerous to walk alone” at night in Malaysia — not because of crime, but because of the abundance of late-night food that could “cause obesity”.

Another netizen quipped that the survey must have been “sponsored” by the Singapore Tourism Board, given the Lion City’s top ranking.

Others dismissed the findings altogether, with one commenter sharing that they had been walking Malaysian streets safely for more than 60 years and had never “encountered anything sinister”.

Gallup’s findings were based on nationally representative surveys conducted in 2024 across 144 countries and territories.

Around 1,000 respondents per country, aged 15 and above, were interviewed either by phone or face-to-face.

Also read: Female traveller visiting S’pore for first time asks if it’s safe to spend the night outside by herself

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Featured image adapted from fotoVoyager on Canva and Richie Chan on Canva, for illustration purposes only.