The World’s Most Dangerous Countries for Workers

Implementing health and safety measures is vital for any business, especially in high-risk sectors, to protect workers from accidents and fatalities. However, health and safety standards hugely vary around the world. 

Arinite’s health and safety consultants have 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 countries with the most workplace fatalities

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 industry 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.

The most dangerous countries for workers in the services sector

The research also highlights the ten most dangerous countries for work in the services industry, which includes customer service, healthcare, and transport services. The global average fatality rate for this sector was 2.61.

The findings revealed that Azerbaijan had the highest workplace fatalities within the service sector, with a rate of 58 per 100,000 workers. Kyrgyzstan and Réunion followed with fatality rates of 33.5 and 18.45 per 100,000 workers retrospectively. 

In comparison, the UK had a fatality rate of 0.13 per 100,000 workers within this sector.

Robert Winsloe, Managing Director at Arinite, says: “It’s the responsibility of all business owners, no matter what industry you work in or the size of the company, to comply with their country’s health and safety legislation. 

“Failing to implement the required measures could put your employees’ lives at risk. Even a low-risk job can become dangerous if you don’t meet basic health and safety requirements.

“This research shows that it’s not always the jobs that you expect to be dangerous that can have the highest rates of workplace incidents, which stresses the importance of examining the risks of all roles.

“Health and safety requirements hugely vary across the globe and can also differ depending on the industry, so it’s important to be familiar with the specific stipulations you need to abide by.

“Ensure your staff members also know how to stay out of danger within their role by conducting health and safety training sessions. As well as this, seek their opinions for ways to reduce risks in the workplace.”

“To keep your employees out of harm, assess the risks of the workplace and their job roles and put systems in place to control and minimise the threats to your workers’ safety.”

About Arinite 

Arinite’s Health and Safety Consultancy provides professional health and safety services, including workplace risk assessments. The company supports a diverse customer base such as health and social care, financial services, NHS, schools, and many other sectors across the UK, Ireland, and numerous countries worldwide. 

The Arinite Health and Safety Consultancy is considered a genuine collaborative business partner. The partnership begins by providing advice to ensure our clients are compliant with all health and safety legislation, including any new legislation released throughout the pandemic.

Arinite’s Health and Safety Consultancy provides professional health and safety services to a diverse customer base including health and social care, financial services, NHS, schools, and many other sectors across the UK, Ireland, and numerous countries worldwide.

Methodology

For the research, the Arinite team compiled ILO data for all countries recorded this way. For those that didn’t submit a record to ILO, the team input the Global trend according to the estimated number of occupational accidents and fatal work-related diseases at region and country level, from the National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. They didn’t use more recent EuroStat data as this has been weighted differently, excluding road traffic accidents and accidents on board transport in the course of work.