In case you have wondered which countries have a low level of tolerance towards differences of any kind, then the list of worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit can give you possible hints. Despite our greatest efforts to overcome the racial stereotypes, the racism issues are continuously brought forward.
Racism is defined as a belief, activity, action, practice, and ideology of superiority of one’s race to another one, but it also embraces prejudices and stereotypes related to one’s skin color, ethnic, national and religious identity. Moreover, it’s characterized as an illegal act. It’s no wonder that many organizations, mainly NGOs, are united to fight against this crime of hate.
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The global community tends to eradicate this antagonism and prejudice towards someone of a different race, through a variety of projects, programs, and strategic plans. However, it is not that easy to confront a process that was rooted deeply in the history. Aristotle himself described Greeks as free by nature, while the non-Greeks “the barbarians” were (at least according to him), irrelevant and inferior. In the 19th century, racism became closely linked to ethnocentricity, what resulted in colonizing Arabs in Africa due to the slave trade. The World War II in the first half of the 20th century is remembered as the world’s greatest massacre, and the Nazi party, one of the those responsible for that genocide was lead (once again) by the ideology of superiority of one nation over another. Just read 10 Most Racist Countries in The World, and you will see that racism is still, unfortunately, a big issue that needs to be solved. Moreover, check out 11 Worst Countries for Black People to Travel, an article we wrote a while ago, to find out what to expect from our today’s list.
Whether against African-Americans, Native Americans, Japanese-Americans, Muslims or Jews, a destructive ideology of racism must be stopped and ended for the sake of living in peace and harmony. The struggle begins in ourselves, on an individual level, and continues to be upgraded at a community level and finally becomes completed at the national level. Many anti-racism movements such as the Civil Rights Movement or Anti-Apartheid Movement tend to promote a society free of discrimination on any basis thus giving a ruling government an example of the righteous policy.
Searching for the worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit was not an easy task, since nowadays none of the countries mentioned below wouldn’t recognize themselves as “the racist ones.” Consequently, we checked the Reddit for the information on best and worst countries in Europe for black people to live and travel. What we come up with was the map showing European most racist countries according to the percentage of their citizens who said they “feel comfortable if their child was in a relationship with a Black person”. Next, we consulted Daily Mail’s map where we extracted the data on Asian countries and their level of tolerance towards the people of another race. That was our starting point, since there aren’t many reports carried on anti-black racism in Asia. Then we singled out Asian countries that are more prone to racism, generally speaking, and checked them individually for reported cases of anti-black racism. Since we have been using different sources, we listed Asian countries first, and also provided links to sources we used. Finally, we listed the European countries as well. We ranked the countries according to the percentage of their citizens who said “no to the black people,” or the other races in the already mentioned surveys.
Do not be surprised if your country is on our list of 13 worst countries in Europe and Asia for Black people to live and visit, it’s nothing personal. These statistics are only estimates.
ASIA
3. China
15%
We are starting off with China, a country with the ‘no-go’ areas for the black people, at least according to Quora. Unfortunately, recent events are the proof that anti-black racism is (still) present in the country, especially in bigger cities. The 1988-89 Nanjing Anti-African protests, caused by the argument between African students and Chinese university gatekeepers which took a wrong turn, are remembered up to this day. Apparently, being black in China is not desirable. It’s interesting that the Chinese population is spread all over the world and when it comes to other race being welcomed in China, they are not so open-minded. However, it seems that China is becoming more popular among the African students, at least according to the US News.
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Up next we have three countries which share the second place on the first part of the worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit list.
2. Indonesia
30-39%
Apparently, it’s a challenging experience for a black American, to live in this country. One of the reasons is that there are many black drug smugglers, thus creating a stereotype that all black people are “dangerous”. However, apart from Jakarta, the country’s capital, the situation is somewhat different. Apparently, the bigger the city is, there is a more room for all kinds of people, including those with racial prejudices. Most of the population live in smaller cities, thus rarely having a chance to meet a black people in person. It seems that foreigners, in general, attract attention. So besides occasional unpleasant staring, there are no real racist attitudes against blacks in this country.
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2. Saudi Arabia
30-39%
We are continuing our list of worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit with the fifth largest country in Asia, which has a population of almost 29 million people, out of which, 19.3 million are the native-born Arabic peoples of Saudi Arabia. Among other ethnic groups or foreign nationalities, there is almost 3 million of those with African ancestry. According to the Freedom House as well as Human Right Watch, Saudi Arabia violates fundamental human rights, so it’s no wonder it’s on our list. Moreover, Afro-Saudis cannot serve as judges, diplomats and other official positions, while Afro-Saudi women are forbidden to appear on camera. Moreover, clashes between Saudi police and migrant workers, who are mainly from Africa, are common in the country’s capital.
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2. South Korea
30-39%
The United Nations acknowledged that racism in this Asian country is a severe and deeply-rooted problem. The United Nations Human Rights Committee even proposed making a new law in the service of anti-discrimination. The current run of immigrants significantly brought the racism of South Korea to the light. They are a little bit more open to immigrants from Europe (read white-skinned) than those from Africa and Asia. Though proposed, the law is still reported as denied one.
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Up next we have three countries which share the first place, at least in the Asia.
1. Bangladesh
40%+
We don’t have many surveys and measures of public opinion conducted in Asia and that is why these results are not the most reliable ones. Having more than 40% declared as those who do not want another race to be near them is the main reason why this Asian country is numbered as 7th on our list of the 13 worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit.
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1. Jordan
40%+
Whether it’s because of a strong sense of community which people in this country have or there is indeed the problem of racism and prejudice in this nation that needs to be solved, the fact is that most of the foreigners are apparently feeling discriminated. According to some experiences of Sudanese refugees, the black people in this country are facing racism on a daily basis.
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1. India
40%+
India is definitely one of the worst countries for blacks to travel. It is a country of complicated cultural relations. As an extremely diverse center in South Asia, India itself is dealing with its in-community problems related to castes. Even though declared as Buddha and Gandhi land, one can still feel anti-blackness in some provinces of India. Instead of focusing on caste prejudices in their community which is a primary problem, the media distracts the society by highlighting the anti-blackness policy.
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We’re halfway through our list of worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit, and now, after checking out the rankings of Asian countries, let’s see what’s happening in Europe.
EUROPE
3. Latvia
60-69%
Latvia’s tendency to live European standards of life made this country to promise to the UN to host some immigrants there. However, the percentage numbers expressed above show that Latvians are not tolerant of other races. Their general slogan that Latvia is only for Latvians creates a suitable area for stimulating racism towards the black people and any other race.
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The following two countries share the second place in the Europe’s rankings.
2. Cyprus
70-79%
It’s a known worldwide that Cyprus is a country of many ethnic discords and clashes. Thanks to its historical background of two provincial communities, having discrimination and racism issues here doesn’t surprise us at all. With no government funding or support to projects of anti-racism nature, NGOs can’t do much in this country.
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2. Lithuania
70-79%
Although Vilnius as a country’s capital is a cosmopolitan and multiracial city, the same can’t be referred to some suburban districts in Lithuania. The results of a survey we used definitely do not represent the official mindset, nevertheless, the numbers matter. Unfortunately, the racial discrimination is present in this country.
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And finally, let’s see the top three countries in the Europe’s part of the worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit list.
1. Bulgaria
80-89%
According to the study in 2004, the Committee announced that more than 70% of the black people have been attacked at least once in Bulgaria. They all had the same attackers, the skinheads. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee has informed that there is no a black who hasn’t been violated, verbally or physically in Bulgaria. These reports are simply terrifying and the worst thing is not a racism reported in these reports, but the fact that the police doesn’t protect the injured ones thus providing a productive racist developing base.
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1. The Czech Republic
80-89%
We are continuing our list of worst countries in Europe and Asia for black people to live and visit with Prague which once was a melting pot; nowadays, the number of those who want to live in the Czech Republic has significantly decreased. But what about the number of those, 80-89%, who aren’t comfortable with their child’s choice to have a black person as a boy/girlfriend? Is it because this country is really homogeneous or is it because is racist and xenophobic? You know, there’s a great difference between being stared at and being banned entry on the basis of your color’s skin. Hope to see more black people in the Czech Republic. That’s the only way to overseas the interracial bridges!
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1. Slovakia
80-89%
After launching an advertisement for the Slavic clothing firm, where one of the models was a black person, the whole country of Slovakia has somehow been sparked with pro-racial and hate speeches. Some claimed that would never buy clothes in a shop that promoted blackness, while others bought this company’s clothes in order to support it. Growing racism in the middle of Europe reflects a policy towards black people and immigrants. This is the reason why Slovakia is on the top of our list of the 13 worst countries in Europe and Asia for Black people to live and visit!
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