The capital of Italy, Rome, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, was recognized as the most dangerous city in Europe in 2023.
According to the EU report on the quality of life in European cities for 2023, only 38% of respondents agreed that it is safe to be on the streets of Rome at night. The second place in the anti-rating was taken by the Greek capital of Athens (40%), and the third place by the French port city of Marseille (43%).
At the same time, the Danish capital Copenhagen, the Spanish city Oviedo, and the Slovenian capital Ljubljana were recognized as the safest in Europe – all of them scored 87% approval.
According to the report, more people feel safe in small cities – on average seven out of ten residents. Thus, in cities with a population of less than 250,000 people, 75% of residents feel safe, compared to 67% in cities with a population of 1 to 5 million.
Women are less likely than men to feel safe in the city (67% vs. 72%), and residents aged 55 and over and the unemployed are less likely to feel safe. Education positively affects perceptions of safety: 71% of residents with a college degree said they feel safe in the city at night, compared to only 67% of residents with a basic education.
At the same time, it is noticeable that cities in the southern EU member states are lagging: 63% of residents feel safe, which is 19 pp. lower than in the cities of northern countries. However, two of the ten cities with the highest safety indicators are located in southern countries (Oviedo in Spain and Braga in Portugal). In the cities of Western and Eastern countries, the share of residents who feel safe is 69%, in the cities of the United Kingdom and the European Free Trade Association – 73%, and in the North – 82%. Cities in the Western Balkans (68%) and Turkey (67%) show indicators comparable to those of the eastern EU member states.
However, many cities deviate from these regional trends. For example, in Oviedo (Spain), Braza (Portugal), and Malaga (Spain), the indicators are much higher than the average for the cities of southern countries. However, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Białystok (Poland), Gdańsk (Poland), and Cluj-Napoca (Romania) scored much higher than other cities in Eastern countries. On the other hand, Marseille (France) and Liège (Belgium) have indicators significantly below the average indicators of the cities of the western EU member states.
In some countries, the feeling of safety differs significantly from city to city. In France, for example, the proportion of residents who feel safe at night ranges from 43% in Marseille to 82% in Bordeaux. Such differences are also observed in Belgium (Liège 44%, Antwerp 73%), Bulgaria (Sofia 48%, Burgas 66%), the Czech Republic (Ostrava 45%, Prague 62%), Greece (Athens 40%, Heraklion 68%), Italy (Rome 37%, Verona 64%), Romania (Bucharest 58%, Cluj-Napoca 80%) and Turkey (Istanbul 44%, Antalya 80%). At the same time, the differences between the cities of Denmark, Austria, Slovakia, Finland, Great Britain, and Switzerland are small.
9 Most Dangerous Cities in Europe 2023
1. Rome, Italy (38%).
2. Athens, Greece (40%).
3. Marseille, France (43%).
4-6. Naples, Italy (44%).
4-6. Liege, Belgium (44%).
4-6. Istanbul, Turkey (44%).
7. Ostrava, Czech Republic (45%).
8. Miskolc, Hungary (48%).
9. Sofia, Bulgaria (48%).
9 safest cities in Europe 2023
1-3. Copenhagen, Denmark (87%).
1-3. Oviedo, Spain (87%).
1-3. Ljubljana, Slovenia (87%).
4-6. Bialystok, Poland (86%).
4-6. Groningen, Netherlands (86%).
4-6. Zurich, Switzerland (86%).
7. Aalborg, Denmark (85%).
8. Braga, Portugal (84%).
9. Luxembourg, Luxembourg (83%).