Rwanda Ranked Safest Country in Sub-Saharan Africa for Walking Alone at Night

Rwanda has been ranked the safest country in Sub-Saharan Africa where people feel secure walking alone at night.

This finding is part of the Gallup Global Safety Report 2025.

In terms of safety and people’s sense of calm while walking alone at night, Rwanda scored 78%, outperforming major countries such as the United Kingdom (76%) and France (73%). Globally, Rwanda ranks 38th.

The United States also trails Rwanda, ranking 61st worldwide with a safety score of 71%.

According to the report, 78% of adult Rwandans surveyed said they feel safe walking alone in their country at night.

Across Africa, Rwanda and Algeria share second place, behind Egypt, which scored 82%.

In the East African region, Tanzania scored 68%, Uganda 48%, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo 47%, while Burundi was not included in the study.

The survey covered 144 countries, assessing citizens’ confidence in their personal security, peace of mind, and freedom of movement.

Globally, Singapore tops the list with a score of 98%, followed by Tajikistan (95%), China (94%), Oman (94%), and Saudi Arabia (93%).

In Europe, Norway leads with 91%, followed by Denmark (89%), Finland (88%), Iceland (88%), and Switzerland (88%).

At the bottom of the global ranking are South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini.

Rwandans’ high sense of security aligns with findings from a survey by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), published on November 15, 2024, which showed strong public trust in the country’s security institutions.

According to that study, Reserve Forces (76.6%), DASSO (86.1%), Rwanda National Police (97.1%), and Rwanda Defence Force (99.0%) enjoy remarkable levels of public confidence.

These results are consistent with the Rule of Law Index Report 2024, which also ranked Rwanda among the safest nations in Africa due to its strong adherence to the rule of law.

From 2021 to 2024, Rwanda has consistently maintained a leading position in Africa and globally in this index—ranking 27th worldwide in both 2022 and 2023, up from 33rd in 2021.