Singapore is the world’s noisiest country, finds new global travel ranking

Ever gone out and come home with a splitting headache for seemingly no reason? This might explain why. A new global travel index has crowned Singapore the world’s loudest country, giving our little red dot a rather savage Quiet Score of just 6.78 out of 100.

The Noise-Free Nations Index, created by travel agency Go2Africa, looked at seven factors like population density, tourist numbers, rural land, protected areas, motor vehicles, airports and railway networks to figure out which countries are actually giving travellers a break from the racket of modern life.

And Singapore, unsurprisingly, did not exactly come out whispering. Between the MRT, traffic, construction and the general hum of city life, our ears are apparently working overtime. With just 30 per cent of our land classified as rural and an impressive concentration of people, tourists, and transport infrastructure squeezed into a tiny footprint, finding true silence here is a real challenge. 

So who’s on the opposite end? Bhutan takes the crown for quietest country, scoring 89.44. And we aren’t surprised – its sprawling forests, mountains and valleys make it about as far removed from a crowded city commute as you can get.

Next, Africa absolutely dominates the peaceful side of the ranking, with more than half of the top 25 quietest countries coming from the continent. Namibia lands in second place, followed by Botswana, Zambia and Gabon, thanks largely to their low population densities, protected wilderness and relatively modest tourist traffic.

One thing to note before we round things off: a high Quiet Score doesn’t automatically make somewhere a holiday dream. Countries such as Chad and the Central African Republic rank highly in part because they’re sparsely populated and see relatively few visitors – so fewer people and less tourist traffic naturally make for a quieter score.

Here are the top 5 noisiest countries in the world 🔊

1. Singapore – Quiet Score: 6.78
2. Maldives – Quiet Score: 8.48
3. Barbados – Quiet Score: 10.12
4. Qatar – Quiet Score: 15.45
5. Lebanon – Quiet Score: 18.13

Read the full report here.

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