February 3, 2026, 3:31 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Safety on site is a crucial factor for many vacationers when choosing a travel destination. Official crime statistics provide some guidance. However, the subjective impressions of locals or people who have lived in a city for an extended period—such as for work—can offer valuable insights into how safe a place is perceived to be. The online database Numbeo collects such perceptions and periodically creates rankings of the world’s most dangerous cities. The top spot is a notorious newcomer: The city was not listed in surveys in previous years. TRAVELBOOK assesses the current situation.
The described methodology naturally comes with certain limitations in terms of significance. Numbeo determines the subjective sense of security of its registered users through surveys. The ranking is thus based on personal perceptions—it does not claim to reflect officially confirmed crime figures. Nevertheless, it can serve as a guide for travelers or those planning long-term stays.
TRAVELBOOK recently reported on the current Crime Index from Numbeo, focusing on the most dangerous cities in Europe (here), where the weaknesses of the survey methodology were discussed in more detail. The following now addresses the global results, specifically the top spot: the world’s most dangerous city.
Key Data on the Ranked Cities
The survey considered various criteria, including concerns about muggings and burglaries, drug problems, and racism, as well as perceptions of issues with corruption and bribery. Numbeo also determined whether people feared being physically attacked because of their skin color, ethnic origin, gender, or religion. Each match was assigned points in the ranking process. A score of 2 indicates a very negative assessment, and +2 a very positive one, as explained in the fine print. From this, they calculated a total score, placing the ranked cities on a scale from 0 to 100.
If you find certain cities missing from the list of the world’s most dangerous cities, here are some important details about the current ranking’s consideration process. Only cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants were included, where no war was ongoing at the time of data collection. And among these, only those with enough survey participants were considered.
The World’s Most Dangerous City: Pietermaritzburg
The South African city of Pietermaritzburg ranks first in the danger ranking. Many residents and long-term visitors perceive the local safety as very low. In the current index, the city scores over 82 points. This is particularly interesting because Pietermaritzburg was not even mentioned in surveys in previous years. The situation must have significantly worsened, at least in subjective perception. According to surveys, concerns about violent and property crimes, drug problems, and general insecurity in everyday life are particularly pronounced.
It should be emphasized again that this assessment does not necessarily reflect the official crime situation. However, it aligns with known structural problems in many South African cities. Social inequality, high unemployment, and poverty are common causes of crime—factors also observed outside Pietermaritzburg. Even when official statistics do not always paint an equally alarming picture.
In line with the above, Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, ranks second. Here, too, many residents and long-term visitors perceive the security situation as extremely tense. With a crime index of 81.78 points, Pretoria is only slightly behind Pietermaritzburg. According to surveys, concerns about violent and property crimes such as muggings, burglaries, and car theft are particularly great. Additionally, issues with drug-related crime and a low sense of security after dark are frequently mentioned.
Caracas Also Among the Top in the Rankings
The Venezuelan capital Caracas scores around 81 points in the current Numbeo index, making it one of the cities with the highest perceived insecurity worldwide. Many respondents report that violent and property crimes are omnipresent in daily life. Concerns about armed robberies, theft, and general violence in public spaces are particularly high. The sense of security after dark is also predominantly rated as very low.
This impression aligns with the assessments of official bodies. The German Foreign Office has been warning against travel to Venezuela for years—and since early 2026, particularly urgently. The reason was a military escalation in Caracas and other regions, involving airstrikes and a change of power at the top of the country. It is true that this had no direct impact on the Numbeo ranking, as it is based solely on the subjective sense of security of registered users, which was surveyed at an earlier time. Nevertheless, real risks from street crime, robberies, or kidnappings continue to exist in Caracas and other regions of Venezuela, strongly shaping the population’s sense of security.
The Most Dangerous City in Europe
The 20 European cities with the highest quality of life
The 20 Most Dangerous Cities in the World as a List
- 1. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (82.81)
- 2. Pretoria, South Africa (81.78)
- 3. Caracas, Venezuela (81.39)
- 4. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (81.26)
- 5. Johannesburg, South Africa (80.83)
- 6. Durban, South Africa (80.43)
- 7. San Pedro Sula, Honduras (79.36)
- 8. Port Elizabeth, South Africa (78.56)
- 9. Memphis, Tennessee, USA (78.54)
- 10. Salvador, Brazil (76.50)
- 11. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (76.44)
- 12. Fortaleza, Brazil (75.85)
- 13. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (75.17)
- 14. Recife, Brazil (74.89)
- 15. Guayaquil, Ecuador (74.39)
- 16. Cape Town, South Africa (73.65)
- 17. Detroit, Michigan, USA (72.78)
- 18. Cali, Colombia (72.05)
- 19. Baltimore, Maryland, USA (72.01)
- 20. Tijuana, Mexico (71.47)
How Germany Ranks
German cities are also represented in the global Numbeo ranking, although much further back than many metropolises in South America, Africa, or North America. Bremen has the highest crime index with 47.09 points, placing it at 181 in the ranking (a total of 400 cities are listed). Official figures confirm this picture. According to data from the Police Crime Statistics (PKS), 15,424 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded in Bremen in 2024—the highest rate in Germany (more information can be found here).
Following are Hanover (45.07), Cologne (44.66), and Berlin (44.51). Frankfurt am Main, generally considered a city with a high crime rate, has improved in subjective perception according to survey results and ranks behind the mentioned cities.
The Most Dangerous German Cities at a Glance
- 1. Bremen (47.09)
- 2. Hanover (45.07)
- 3. Cologne (44.66)
- 4. Berlin (44.51)
- 5. Frankfurt am Main (44.49)
- 6. Düsseldorf (32.68)
- 7. Freiburg im Breisgau (32.31)
- 8. Nuremberg (30.03)
- 9. Stuttgart (30.03)
- 10. Dresden (29.81)
- 12. Munich (21.13)