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Visualized: Which Coastal Cities are Sinking the Fastest?

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

A map and ranking of the fastest sinking coastal cities in the world by local land subsidence.

Which Coastal Cities Are Sinking the Fastest?

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

With sea levels rising, there is cause for concern about the livability of major coastal cities—often huge centers of trade and commerce, and homes to millions of people.

But an overlooked area is how coastal cities are themselves sinking—a phenomenon called relative local land subsidence (RLLS)—which occurs when underground materials, such as soil, rock, or even man-made structures, compact or collapse, causing the surface above to sink.

This can exacerbate the effects of rising sea levels (currently averaged at 3.7 mm/year), and is a useful metric to track for coastal communities.

Creator Planet Anomaly, looks at the top 10 cities ranked by the peak subsidence velocity. This graphic is based on a paper published by Nature Sustainability, which used satellite data to track land subsidence changes in 48 high-population coastal cities located within 50 kilometers of the coastline. Their data collection spanned six years from 2014 to 2020.

ℹ️ Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) utilizes two images taken at different times, which are then compared to create an interferogram. This interferogram illustrates changes in land motion relative to a reference point in the satellite’s line-of-sight over time. By analyzing a series of these interferograms, researchers can estimate the long-term velocity of the ground’s surface for each city.

In that time period, they found that 44 of the cities they studied—many of them massively populated, developed megacities, built on flat, low-lying river deltas—had areas sinking faster than sea levels were rising.

The 10 Fastest Sinking Coastal Cities

One of the top cities on the list is Tianjin, China with a population of more than 14 million people, which has areas of the city experiencing peak RLLS velocities of 43 mm a year between 2014–2020. The median velocity is much lower, at 6 mm/year, which means some areas are sinking much faster than the overall metropolitan area.

Tianjin is bordered by Beijing municipality to the northwest and the Bohai Gulf to the east. In June 2023, large cracks appeared on Tianjin’s streets, caused by underground land collapses, a byproduct of extensive geothermal drilling, according to the local government.

RankCityCountryPeak Velocity
(mm/year)
Median Velocity
(mm/year)
1Tianjin🇨🇳 China436
2Ho Chi Minh City🇻🇳 Vietnam4316
3Chittagong🇧🇩 Bangladesh3712
4Yangon🇲🇲 Myanmar314
5Jakarta🇮🇩 Indonesia265
6Ahmedabad🇮🇳 India235
7Istanbul🇹🇷 Turkey196
8Houston🇺🇸 U.S.173
9Lagos🇳🇬 Nigeria172
10Manila🇵🇭 Philippines172

Ho Chi Minh City (population 9 million) in Vietnam also faces similar RLLS rates as Tianjin though its median velocity is much higher at 16 mm/year.

Chittagong, Bangladesh, Yangon, Myanmar, and Jakarta, Indonesia, round out the top five fastest sinking coastal cities by relative land subsidence. They all face a similar web of contributing factors as the authors of the paper note below:

“Many of these fast-subsiding coastal cities are rapidly expanding megacities, where anthropogenic factors, such as high demands for groundwater extraction and loading from densely constructed building structures, contribute to local land subsidence.” — Tay, C., Lindsey, E.O., Chin, S.T. et al.

In fact, Indonesia has ambitious plans to relocate its sinking capital, Jakarta, to another island, a move that could cost the Indonesian government more than $120 billion. This comes after the forecast that one-third of Jakarta could be submerged as early as 2050. Aside from the regular flooding, Jakarta is also extremely prone to earthquakes.

Why Measure Local Land Subsidence?

The researchers of this report argue that local land subsidence is largely underestimated in relative sea level rise assessments and is crucial for the sustainable development of coastal areas.

The data they’ve collected—peak velocity versus median velocity—also allows them to identify specific areas and neighborhoods in cities that are undergoing rapid subsidence and thus facing a greater exposure to coastal hazards.

In New York, for example, their results suggested that subsidence is only localized west of Breezy Point and “should not be extrapolated eastward along the coast” of Long Island.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Maps

Mapped: Law and Order Around the World in 2024

We show the safest countries in the world, based on perceptions of safety, trust in law enforcement, and other critical factors.

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This maps shows the safest countries in the world based on the Law and Order Index by Gallup.

Mapped: Law and Order Around the World in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Many prosperous countries are among the safest globally, highlighting the link between economic stability and physical security.

Despite global conflicts reaching their highest levels since World War II—currently at 56—the public’s sense of safety has improved over the past decade. This rise in perceived safety is largely attributed to greater trust in law enforcement, which remains a key factor in how secure people feel, regardless of a country’s economic standing.

This graphic shows Law and Order Index scores by country, based on data from Gallup’s Global Safety Report 2024.

Methodology

The Law and Order Index reflects public perceptions of safety, based on a survey of 146,000 people from 140 countries. Respondents were asked about their perceptions on three key areas:

  • Feelings of personal safety
  • Confidence in police
  • Experience of assault and theft

Where Are the Safest Countries in the World?

Below, we show how each country ranks according to their Law and Order Index scores in 2024:

CountryLaw and Order Index Score 2024
🇰🇼 Kuwait98
🇸🇬 Singapore95
🇹🇯 Tajikistan95
🇳🇴 Norway93
🇪🇪 Estonia91
🇫🇮 Finland91
🇮🇸 Iceland91
🇽🇰 Kosovo91
🇱🇺 Luxembourg91
🇨🇭 Switzerland91
🇩🇰 Denmark90
🇦🇪 UAE90
🇻🇳 Vietnam90
🇧🇭 Bahrain89
🇸🇻 El Salvador89
🇮🇩 Indonesia89
🇵🇹 Portugal89
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia89
🇸🇮 Slovenia89
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan89
🇨🇳 China88
🇪🇬 Egypt88
🇲🇪 Montenegro88
🇳🇱 Netherlands88
🇸🇪 Sweden88
🇹🇼 Taiwan88
🇦🇹 Austria87
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan87
🇯🇴 Jordan87
🇲🇾 Malaysia87
🇪🇸 Spain87
🇬🇪 Georgia86
🇩🇪 Germany86
🇭🇰 Hong Kong, S.A.R.86
🇮🇪 Ireland86
🇯🇵 Japan86
🇱🇹 Lithuania86
🇦🇲 Armenia85
🇨🇿 Czech Republic85
🇰🇷 South Korea85
🇦🇱 Albania84
🇫🇷 France84
🇮🇶 Iraq84
🇮🇱 Israel84
🇲🇹 Malta84
🇵🇭 Philippines84
🇧🇪 Belgium83
🇨🇦 Canada83
🇭🇺 Hungary83
🇮🇳 India83
🇷🇸 Serbia83
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina82
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan82
🇱🇻 Latvia82
🇹🇷 Northern Cyprus82
🇸🇰 Slovakia82
🇸🇴 Somalia82
🇹🇷 Türkiye82
🇬🇧 United Kingdom82
🇦🇺 Australia81
🇧🇩 Bangladesh81
🇭🇷 Croatia81
🇮🇷 Iran81
🇮🇹 Italy81
🇵🇱 Poland81
🇷🇺 Russian Federation81
🇺🇸 United States81
🇰🇭 Cambodia80
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan80
🇲🇺 Mauritius80
🇲🇩 Moldova80
🇲🇰 North Macedonia79
🇹🇿 Tanzania79
🇹🇭 Thailand79
🇧🇬 Bulgaria78
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso78
🇲🇦 Morocco78
🇵🇰 Pakistan78
🇷🇴 Romania78
🇨🇾 Cyprus77
🇬🇷 Greece77
🇱🇦 Lao77
🇲🇱 Mali77
🇳🇵 Nepal77
🇵🇦 Panama77
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka77
🇱🇾 Libya76
🇳🇿 New Zealand76
🇹🇳 Tunisia76
🇵🇸 State of Palestine75
🇺🇾 Uruguay75
🇧🇷 Brazil74
🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire74
🇬🇹 Guatemala74
🇨🇷 Costa Rica73
🇭🇳 Honduras73
🇱🇧 Lebanon73
🇺🇦 Ukraine73
🇧🇯 Benin72
🇵🇾 Paraguay72
🇸🇳 Senegal72
🇬🇭 Ghana71
🇲🇳 Mongolia71
🇲🇿 Mozambique71
🇹🇬 Togo71
🇾🇪 Yemen71
🇪🇹 Ethiopia70
🇰🇲 Comoros69
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic69
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe69
🇨🇱 Chile68
🇲🇬 Madagascar68
🇳🇪 Niger68
🇲🇽 Mexico66
🇻🇪 Venezuela66
🇦🇷 Argentina65
🇨🇴 Colombia65
🇲🇷 Mauritania65
🇳🇬 Nigeria65
🇿🇲 Zambia65
🇨🇲 Cameroon64
🇲🇲 Myanmar64
🇳🇦 Namibia64
🇬🇳 Guinea63
🇰🇪 Kenya63
🇲🇼 Malawi63
🇵🇪 Peru63
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo63
🇧🇴 Bolivia62
🇸🇿 Eswatini62
🇬🇦 Gabon62
🇺🇬 Uganda62
🇧🇼 Botswana60
🇹🇩 Chad60
🇬🇲 The Gambia59
🇨🇩 DRC58
🇿🇦 South Africa58
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone57
🇪🇨 Ecuador55
🇱🇷 Liberia50

Countries with high state control had the strongest public perceptions of safety, led by Kuwait, Singapore, and Tajikistan.

Globally, Singapore ranks as one of the safest countries in the world. This is aided by low violent crime rates, at 9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. Strict law enforcement and banning the possession of weapons likely increase feelings of safety among the public. Additionally, the government enforces capital punishment for murder and illegally possessing firearms.

Moreover, seven of the top 10 countries were in Europe, likely due to low crime rates and high trust in government institutions. In particular, Finland has one of the highest public trust in police systems, at 87% of the population, while 74% trust the judicial system.

By contrast, Liberia fell at the bottom of the list for the second year in a row, driven by personal experience of crime, low trust in law enforcement, and economic hardship. Concerningly, 28% of respondents were the victim of assault in the last year, while 45% had experienced theft. As one of the poorest countries worldwide, Liberia has faced years of political corruption and low access to public services, exacerbating public perceptions of safety.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic from a homicide rate perspective, check out this graphic on the world’s most dangerous countries.

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