# Are there any countries without beggars ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103 "2013-03-27T15:37:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/1 "2013-03-27T15:37:37Z")
In my travels in third world countries sometimes the people will try to apologize to me for my being harassed by beggars. My standard reply is that it doesn’t matter if a country is rich or poor, all countries have beggars. Is that true, or are there some countries that do not have any beggars ? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/2 "2013-03-27T15:40:59Z")
In all my trips to Geneva and Bern, I never saw any panhandlers. They either don’t allow it there, or they provide for them. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/3 "2013-03-27T15:47:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > In all my trips to Geneva and Bern, I never saw any panhandlers. They either don’t allow it there, or they provide for them. I saw beggars in Zurich. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/4 "2013-03-27T15:47:52Z")
Vatican City. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/5 "2013-03-27T15:48:48Z")
What about Monaco? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/6 "2013-03-27T15:57:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Vatican City. The entire place was built by the largest and most sophisticated pan-handling operation ever conceived. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/7 "2013-03-27T16:03:11Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The entire place was built by the largest and most sophisticated pan-handling operation ever conceived. You know, I was thinking the exact same thing as I typed that answer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/8 "2013-03-27T16:04:22Z")
Also I got panhandled while in line there. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/9 "2013-03-27T16:21:41Z")
Iceland, supposedly. Country with a very small population, a single major city, and social services constructed in such a way that the homeless are basically not seen. > **[From Iceland — On The Outside](https://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2013/02/21/on-the-outside/)** > > Kaffistofan, downtown Reykjavík’s soup kitchen, has the off-white walls, bland decor and fluorescent lighting of a hospital cafeteria. Located on... > [@](#): > > Reykjavík’s homeless problem doesn’t manifest itself in the usual ways. Droves of people aren’t reduced to panhandling on street corners or sleeping overnight in bus stops. It wouldn’t be hard to spend a week or two downtown taking in the city’s whimsical, idyllic atmosphere and be convinced that homelessness just doesn’t exist in Iceland. Reykjavik isn’t as cold as you might expect from the latitude, but it’s not warm. That might also have something to do with it. You might want to check out other northern latitude countries. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/10 "2013-03-27T16:29:53Z")
That doesn’t seem like the sort of thing they’d tolerate in Singapore’s “sort-of democratic except when it comes to public order and tidyness” system ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/11 "2013-03-27T16:32:47Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Also I got panhandled while in line there. And I found it even more so at the other non-contiguous Vatican City properties (St. John Lateran, etc.) But I’d like to put out that Seoul had the fewest (in that I encountered none) number of beggars, panhandlers, etc. that I’ve ever seen in a large city. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/12 "2013-03-27T16:35:39Z")
Do they have panhandlers in Tuvalu? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/13 "2013-03-27T17:03:43Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > That doesn’t seem like the sort of thing they’d tolerate in Singapore’s “sort-of democratic except when it comes to public order and tidyness” system I’ve spent a lot of time in Singapore and I’ve encountered exactly one beggar. He was pretending to stand in line for a bus, but then launched into this really long and complicated story about how he was a Chinese research scientist who lost his grant and was now reduced to begging. His approash seemed to be based on the idea that it wouldn’t look like he was beggng, but rather just engaged in conversation. The problem was that his spiel was so long that the bus came before he got to the begging part and I got on the bus and left. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/14 "2013-03-27T17:11:54Z")
Maybe Nauru? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/15 "2013-03-27T17:14:16Z")
None in the Falkland Islands. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/16 "2013-03-27T17:19:46Z")
Bizarro World San Francisco. I also think the Vatican Sovereign Military Order of Malta (a quasi-nation) wouldn’t, considering the size if nothing else (the latter’s territory is mostly office building!). On the other hand, I bet they do get the worst beggars possible, telemarketers! Very cold countries will have fewer. In the winter, they either have to freeze to death, move to another country (harder on Iceland and other islands), or the government has to provide housing for ~6 months. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/17 "2013-03-27T17:33:33Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > None in the Falkland Islands. Not a country. They’re an overseas territory of the UK. If you’re going to suggest them, we might add Tristan Da Cunha or Pitcairn Island. Tuvalu and Nauru are sovereign nations. In particular, Tuvalu has a population of about 10,000, consists entirely of coral atolls, receives only about 1000 tourists a year, has a large trust fund from commercializing their “.tv” domain, and has an overriding concern that they are likely to be treading water in a few decades (the highest point is 15 feet above sea level). I don’t imagine that they panhandle each other a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/18 "2013-03-27T17:35:46Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Bizarro World San Francisco. > > I also think the Vatican Sovereign Military Order of Malta (a quasi-nation) wouldn’t, considering the size if nothing else (the latter’s territory is mostly office building!). On the other hand, I bet they do get the worst beggars possible, telemarketers! > > Very cold countries will have fewer. In the winter, they either have to freeze to death, move to another country (harder on Iceland and other islands), or the government has to provide housing for ~6 months. Well, maybe fewer but you’d be amazed that homeless people in Ottawa will find outdoor places to sleep at -20 C. When it gets to -30 they typically seek out shelters. You’d have to be crazy, oh wait… ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/19 "2013-03-27T17:38:03Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The entire place was built by the largest and most sophisticated pan-handling operation ever conceived. And they won’t tolerate any competition. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103/20 "2013-03-27T17:39:44Z")
Saudi Arabia Lots of street vendors, some of them selling anything but dirty sand, but no flat-out beggars. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-without-beggars/654103.md?page=2)