The 10 Most Dangerous Countries for Women and Why

It’s no news that women are continuously pushing their boundaries in work, social and personal settings. With a healthy and ever-growing base of female travel bloggers, it also seems that they are bulldozing through travel limits as well.

A recent study by Allianz Global Assistance, though, shows that women still face many obstacles when it’s time to travel alone. More than 35 percent of women have never traveled alone, which is ten percent higher than men who said the same. Moreover, less women said they felt safe when traveling alone than men.

According to the survey, harassment is a definite issue for women on the road, with four women to one man admitting the issue. For women, the top traveling concern is the security of accommodation, and that’s with reason—I know a female who almost got sexually assaulted while staying in a hostel. A very close second is being out at night, followed by violence or terrorism, natural disasters and taking public transportation alone.

All people of course should be alert while traveling alone or with people. However, picking a safer destination is smart, too. The Thomas Reuters Foundation surveyed about 550 experts on women’s and other issues to determine which of the United Nations countries are least favorable to the female gender. Here are the most dangerous countries along with their tops issues for women according to Reuters.

1. India: sexual violence, cultural practice, human trafficking
2. Afghanistan: non-sexual violence, access to healthcare, access to economic resources
3. Syria: healthcare, non-sexual violence, sexual violence
4. Somalia: access to healthcare, cultural practices, access to economic resources
5. Saudi Arabia: access to economic resources, discrimination, cultural practice
6. Pakistan: access to economic resources, discrimination, cultural and religious practice
7. Democratic Republic of Congo: sexual violence
8. Yemen: healthcare, economic resources, cultural practice, non-sexual violence
9. Nigeria: human trafficking, cultural practice
10. United States: sexual violence