The World's Most Dangerous Countries for Workers

New research compiled by Health and Safety Consultancy, Arinite, suggests health and safety standards vary hugely around the world.

Arinite has analysed the reported average workplace fatality rate per 100,000 workers across the globe to reveal which countries and industries are the most dangerous and safe for workers.

The research found Bhutan, in South Asia, to be the most dangerous country averaged across all industries, with a fatality rate of 31.9 per 100,000 per year. The Southeast Asian nation Timor-Leste followed with 29.2 fatalities per 100,000 workers on average.

In comparison, Iceland, which has held the position of the most peaceful country since 2008, had zero work fatalities per 100,000 workers, as did Malta and San Marino.

France, known for its strict enforcement of health and safety legislation, had an average workplace fatality rate of 2.55 across all industries. The United Kingdom was cited as the ninth least dangerous country, with a fatality rate of 0.83.

The Most Dangerous Industries in Each Country

The research revealed the mining and quarrying sector as the most dangerous across 21% of the countries, including Uzbekistan, Sweden, and Spain. The fatality rate for the mining and quarrying industry was the highest in Egypt, which has 75.24 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

Unsurprisingly, the findings discovered that the real estate activity sector was the most dangerous industry in Egypt, with a fatality rate of 145.99. However, this didn’t appear as the most high-risk sector in any other country.

The findings uncovered the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector as the most dangerous in 12 of the countries cited. The industry’s highest fatality rate, 58.21, was in Guadeloupe, closely followed by 57.4 in the United States. Arinite also found that this industry was the biggest cause of workplace fatalities in the United Kingdom, with a rate of 10.14 per 100,000 workers.

Average fatality rates at work for each sector

Out of all economic activities included in the research, fishing had the highest global average fatality rate of 15.96. This sector was the most dangerous within Canada, in which it had a fatality rate of 27.32 per 100,000 workers.

The safety threats of fishing include working in unpredictable weather conditions, on the open water and at height. It also involves handling dangerous equipment.

Mining was the second most dangerous industry due to the average fatality rate of 14.09. Agriculture followed, with an 11.26 workplace fatality rate.

Construction, which was revealed as the fourth most dangerous sector, had a global average fatality rate of 10.24, with the highest rate in the Republic of Moldova of 44.7. Electricity, Gas and Water Supply rounded out the five most high-risk industries, with a 9.88 global fatality rate and an 83.33 per 100,000 fatality rate among workers in Macau.

Administration and support services, which generally involve lower-risk roles such as office administrators, call centre operators, and travel agents, were cited as the tenth most dangerous sector. The global average fatality rate for this industry was 3.29, with the highest rate of 34.24 in Egypt.

Activities of households as employers, which can include maids, tutors, and cooks, had a fatality rate of 0.33, which was the lowest among the sectors. This industry had the highest fatality rate, of 10.04, in Finland.

View the research and more statistics here.

The Arinite Health and Safety Consultancy provides health and safety services and support to a diverse customer base including health & social care, financial service companies, NHS, Clinical Commissioning Groups, retail chains, schools, manufacturers, assembly plants, warehouses and other sectors across the UK, Ireland and a number of countries worldwide.