17. Milan, Italy — The city slipped in the ranking to 63 this year after the FBI warned that St. Peter's Basilica, the Doumo and La Scala were under threat of a terrorist attack.
16 (joint). Barcelona, Spain — The city is known for being one of the pickpocket capitals of the world, pushing it into rank 64 on the personal safety index.
The British foreign office says under the safety and security section (crime) "there has been an increase in the number of thefts from hire cars; remove all valuables or store items out of sight."
16 (joint). Belfast, Northern Ireland — The city is ranked at 64 and has a relatively low violent crime rate compared to other towns and cities in Northern Ireland. However, the proportion of people living in poverty is the highest in Belfast which rocks social stability and increases petty crime.
14 (joint). Tallinn, Estonia — The picturesque walled city has relatively low violent crime but ranked 66 in the list because of drug and human trafficking from organised Russian syndicates.
14 (joint). Warsaw, Poland —The city has one of the lowest crime rates in the country but ranked 66 due to the number of political protests being held in Poland.
12. Paris, France — The city ranked at 71 following two years of terrorist attacks. In November last year, France's capital suicide bombers and shooters attacked several areas, including cafés, restaurants and a music venue, killing 130 people and injuring hundreds of others.
11. London, UK — It may be a surprise to see London in the list but Mercer ranked Britain's capital at 72. Ellyn Karetnick, Head of Mercer’s International Mobility Practice in the UK said that “in Europe and beyond terrorist attacks and incidences of civil unrest are closely monitored and analysed, and any impact on quality of living for expatriates is reflected in the rankings.”
10. Bucharest, Romania — Violent and organised crime is quite low in Romania's capital but ranked 79 because of widespread corruption and petty crime.
9. Zagreb, Croatia —Like Zagreb's other major Eastern European counterparts, corruption drags the city down to 79.
8 (joint). Riga, Latvia —Apart from anti-immigration protests starting to dominate the streets, Riga is ranked 82 on the index for its thriving organised crime and prostitution syndicates.
8 (joint). Rome, Italy — The city dropped to 82 after Rome, and other Italian cities, were put on high alert for terrorist attacks similar to the Paris shootings in November last year.
6. Madrid, Spain — The city ranked 84 in Mercer's list for its social unrest resulting from countrywide austerity measures which led to massive unemployment levels, especially among its youth population.
5. Budapest, Hungary — The city dropped to 93 in the index after a massive increase in social unrest in the city following the refugee crisis. Chaos at train stations and protests in the streets have erupted several times as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has tried to curb the flow of migrants in and through the country.
4. Sofia, Bulgaria — A high level of social unrest has pushed the city into 118. People in Bulgaria, which is the European Union's poorest member, continually protest against the government over benefit and pension cuts as well as against corruption.
3. Athens, Greece — After extensive and prolonged austerity measures, poverty and crime has increased giving Athens a ranking of 124. Furthermore, "the recent political and economic turmoil in Greece, which resulted in violent demonstrations in Athens and other cities in the country, has undermined its safety ranking," says Mercer. The influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants is also exacerbating the city's safety position.
2. Belgrade, Serbia — Violent crimes are low in the city but Belgrade sinks to 131 in the index for its widescale corruption and bribery issues as well as from theft and vandalism.
1. Kiev, Ukraine — The country's capital ranks at 189 due to continual civil unrest and its pugilistic relationship with Russia. Although the UK foreign office says Kiev is "calm" compared to the now Russia annexed region of Crimea, Kiev is rife with theft, vandalism and violent protests that have killed or injured hundreds of people.
