South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Mexico and Iran were the five most dangerous countries for women to travel to alone, while Spain, Singapore, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland were the five safest.
Researchers Asher and Lyric Fergusson created the "Women's Danger Index" by calculating street safety, intentional homicide of females, non-partner sexual and intimate partner non-sexual violence, legal discrimination, the global gender gap and inequality index, and attitudes about violence against women in the 50 countries with the most international tourists.
The countries were graded from A to F based on these eight factors. No country got an A, but South Africa took the cake for most dangerous with a resounding F. South Africa has a history of treating women cruelly and warns women not to do any activities like hiking, walking or driving around alone and to "behave conservatively."
Spain, the safest country for women to travel alone, received a B+. Spain is also the second most visited country in the world, after France. The country also had women outnumbering men in the government with 11 of the 17 cabinet seats.
The researchers recommend 42 tips for solo travelers, including always researching your destination before you go, packing light and bringing your smartphone with a SIM card from the country you're visiting in case of emergencies.
Israel was not among the 50 most visited countries.
