Avoiding these 12 most racist countries against blacks in the world would probably not be a good idea if you were thinking of traveling or relocating.
Despite the amazing advancement of science and technology, the humankind remains somewhat underdeveloped in regards to certain aspects. True, we have progressed a lot, and we may freely say that the world has never been as connected as it is today. People are traveling more than ever and meeting different cultures which greatly contributes to eliminating racism — especially when it comes to isolated places where there are little or no people of other races at all. However, ignorance and bigotry are still not eliminated entirely and racism is openly an issue in a great number of places.
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Black people are still facing prejudice and hatred in certain parts of the world. And while racism is usually not something expressed very publicly in some countries, the hatred towards people who look differently goes beyond words in others and sadly, violence is not uncommon. Two of such cases have occurred in India and China, possibly the worst countries for black people to travel. While a young black man was beaten to death in India just before his birthday, China releases a racist laundry detergent ad. Read about these incidents in The Washington Post’s article.
The fact that things like these are allowed to happen explains why these two countries are often listed as being the most racist countries in the world. On the other hand, Liechtenstein and the Nordic countries are often listed as the least racist countries for black people to visit. To know what countries are the most racist in Europe, check out 15 Most Racist Countries in Europe as well as 11 Most Racist Islamophobic European Countries towards Muslims.
There really should not be any generalization because people are different and not everyone’s experience in China or India, for example, will be the same. Also, not everyone will be thrilled with their experiences in Sweden or Norway. Even visiting the most racist countries may not turn out to be a negative experience for all black people. But the fact is that no one wants to risk being stared at, ridiculed and insulted just because they look different. That is why, unfortunately, many black people don’t dare traveling to certain parts of the world.
What we found out while researching this topic and reading about experiences of different travelers of African descent is that it is difficult to put a label of the “most racist countries against blacks in the world”. If you visit villages and small towns whose residents don’t travel much and get to meet other cultures, you are more likely to have a negative experience if you are black. Speaking of that, some of the best countries for black people to travel or even raise a family include New Zealand and Norway.
We have read many discussions and articles concerning most racist countries against blacks, and we have compiled a list of 12 countries which are best to avoid if you are black and planning to travel soon. Once again, we must say that this is a sensitive topic and not everyone’s experiences are the same, but the data we compiled using Quorra, Reddit and articles mentioned later on the list, suggest that these countries are the worst. They are ranked according to the number of mentions in sources we used.
Take a look at 12 most racist countries against blacks in the world.
12. The USA
Due to obvious reasons, the USA had to be included on our list but this doesn’t mean that the entire country is racist. The South of the United States is probably where you are most likely to encounter racism, due to the fact that many cities in this part of the country are almost entirely white. Moreover, the incidents of black people being killed by the police do not make things easier. The Independent wrote about this, and according to CNN, 87% of Black Americans say they face a lot of discrimination in the United States.
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11. Germany
Surprisingly enough, even though Germany is a developed European country with a great number of black residents, there is still a portion of racism, and this is mostly due to a significant number of skinheads which still believe in the white supremacy that Hitler was so fond of.
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10. The UK
It’s a paradox that one of the most diverse countries in the world happens to be racist at the same time, but according to many experiences of people who faced racism in the UK, this country should definitely be included on the list of most racist countries against blacks in the world. The Guardian published an article on the reality of being black in the UK today so you may take a look at it to learn a little bit more of how it feels like to be black. The article represents memories and experiences of a person of African descent who found it difficult to grow up in today’s Britain.
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9. Thailand
We were surprised to learn that Thailand tends to be racist as well, considering it is a very popular tourist destination. But many black people felt unsafe in this country and even reported that some restaurants refused to provide service to couples of mixed races. In an article published by the Asia Correspondent, the author explains how blacks are perceived in Thailand and include disturbing information that children in school are taught that black is ugly. This extremely offensive racist view proves that blacks are not very welcome in this country. Besides that, stores in Thailand are filled with all sorts of skin lightening products.
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8. Lebanon
Lebanon ranks high among countries who perceive people of different skin color with some suspicion and discrimination. According to experiences of some students and travelers, black people were denied service in certain restaurants. Such negative experience may occur to everyone, but you may want to consider all the factors before you decide to go there. According to The Economist, racism is still present in Lebanon even though they think of their capital, Beirut, as a cosmopolitan city.
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7. Saudi Arabia
The slave trade was pretty booming in Saudi Arabia, which probably reflects today’s racism against blacks that still prevails in this country. Even though it all depends on the type of people you meet during your travels, it is commonly believed that in Saudi Arabia certain prejudice remained, although not backed by any law like in some other countries.
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6. Russia
This vast country that spreads across both Europe and Asia still has a significant portion of racism and can be judgemental against anyone who is not purely Russian. Experiences are different, and while some people say that they haven’t experienced issues being black in Russia, a larger number of others said that they did. This led us to include Russia on our list of most racist countries against blacks in the world.
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5. South Korea
There is general belief that people in South Korea dislike foreigners of any kind. This country has no anti-discrimination laws, and many travelers of darker skin who shared their opinions in the discussions said that they had faced difficulties while staying there. While, like I said, there should be no generalization of any kind, South Koreans even dislike people who were half Korean and half Japanese, Vietnamese or Chinese.
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4. Israel
This small country turns out to be pretty racist and judgemental of people of different skin color. Besides the issues between Israeli and Palestinians, Israel is also a country that many black people said treated them very badly. Young black men face police brutality and racism, and the overall atmosphere is not very bright for people of African descent. Ethiopians feel a significant amount of racism in this country and African migrants, in general, are considered unwelcome. You can read more about this issue here.
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And now, let’s see the top three most racist countries against blacks in the world.
3. Jordan
One study showed that slightly more than half the population of Jordan would refuse to live next door with someone of different skin color. Racism is openly an issue in this country, and many travelers reported having been treated badly in this country which is why we ranked it third on our list of most racist countries against blacks in the world.
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2. China
China is a large country, and we are sure that not everyone is racist towards blacks, but the data we compiled suggests that this is one of the worst countries when it comes to racism. The incident regarding the ad we mentioned earlier is not an isolated event, and people can be openly racist.
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1. India
Out of all the countries included in our list, India is the most mentioned one in all discussions regarding racism, and that is why it is ranked first among 12 most racist countries against blacks in the world. In India, white people may enjoy more respect while black people may be regarded with suspicion and discrimination.
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