Two UK cities named among the top 10 'most dangerous in Europe' according to survey
A pair of British cities appear in the Top 10 'most dangerous' places to visit in Europe survey.
Criminality indexer Numbeo* bases its biannual findings on how the individual taking part perceives their city, with specific considerations covering: feelings of insecurity, fear of walking alone in the dark, of being robbed, mugged, attacked, and harassed.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, we have Birmingham (population approximately 2,704,620) and Coventry (454,584) rubbing shoulders with perhaps more obvious choices, where mafiosos might hang around.
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Per Plumplot, number three on the list, Birmingham, had an average crime rate of 136.8 per 1,000 between April 2024 and March 2025.
62,200 of those crimes were of a violent nature, while shoplifting was the fastest-growing crime in that period, increasing by 45% on the previous 12 months.
Coventry, meanwhile, runs out as 122,900 per 1,000, with 37.7% of all tellings-off being ones connected to violence.
If you're after the official numerical ranking, here goes:
- Catania (Italy)
- Marseille (France)
- Birmingham (UK)
- Coventry (UK)
- Charleroi (Belgium)
- Naples (Italy)
- Montpellier (France)
- Liège (Belgium)
- Grenoble (France)
- Nantes (France)
AXA advise that 'higher caution' is recommended based on the general feelings of the cities' inhabitants.
It'll be interesting to see whether law enforcement across both areas takes umbrage with this brutal poll - just like the city of Bradford's district commander and chief superintendent Rob McCoubrey did four years ago whilst speaking to Express.co.uk.
"West Yorkshire Police do not recognise this data and do not accept how any methodology can provide a credible comparison across continents, countries, and cities. Bradford is a safe place to live, work and visit. Like any city where deprivation and poverty exist there are of course challenges," he commented.
"However, we work closely with partner agencies and communities to effectively tackle issues as they emerge. For example, over the last three years knife crime in Bradford has fallen by 19 percent and residential burglaries by 57 percent. It is disappointing that this survey fails to recognise many of the attributes that make Bradford such a fantastic city."
In 2021, the overall rate for Bradford was 146 crimes per 1,000 people, the most common being violence and sexual offences.
Bradford's crime index value of 71.24 also made it the 26th most dangerous city on Earth.
As of 2025, that list is predominantly populated by South American places such as Rio de Janeiro, Tegucigalpa, Panama City, Recife, Barranquilla, San Pedro Sula, and Tijuana.
Statistically, almost seven people are killed in the latter every single day, with cartel wars and poverty being the mitigating factors.
Dan Seddon