Is Antofagasta safe?
Chile · South America · data updated 2026-09-04
Antofagasta is a city in Chile, home to about 386k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,455 of 6,168, with a safety score of 59.9 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.
Emergency Ambulance 131 · Fire 132 · Police 133
- Elevated homicide rate8.3 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 3× the global city median.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Chile are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Antofagasta really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Antofagasta recorded 8.3 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - roughly 3 times the global city median. Chile's income inequality is middling (Gini 43.0) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Chile at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-05-19). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Chile without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.
What to watch out for in Chile
Terrorism in Chile · Political situation · Taxi scams at Santiago Airport · Protecting your belongings · Violent theft (muggings) · Vehicle crime · Drink spiking · Personal ID · Alcohol laws and bans · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · LGBT+ travellers · Fires in national parks · Hiking and mountaineering · Road travel · +6 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Chile — country-level, not specific to Antofagasta. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 8.3 /100kcity-measured, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 43.0country, 2024
- Human development
- HDI 0.878country, 2023
- Income
- $35,730/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 386kurban centre · 6,890/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 14.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 68/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 69/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 63/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.74Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 23.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 98%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.3 doctors /1k1.9 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Chile
- Earthquake
- 9.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 5.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Chile as a whole, not Antofagasta specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Chile (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Chile; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Antofagasta that gives 59.9/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Antofagasta compared with Salta
| Measure | Antofagasta | Salta | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 59.9 | 70.4 | −10.5 — better for Salta |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 8.3 /100k | 1.9 /100k | +6.4 /100k — better for Salta |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 43.0 | 42.4 | +0.6 — better for Salta |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.878 | 0.865 | +0.013 — better for Antofagasta |
| Road deaths | 14.9 /100k | 14.1 /100k | +0.8 /100k — better for Salta |
| Rule of law | 69/100 | 53/100 | +16/100 — better for Antofagasta |
| Corruption perceptions | 63/100 | 36/100 | +27/100 — better for Antofagasta |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 23.1 µg/m³ | 14.3 µg/m³ | +8.8 µg/m³ — better for Salta |
| Natural-hazard risk | 3.1/10 | 3.9/10 | −0.8/10 — better for Antofagasta |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Salta →
Nearby cities
- Calama 62.0
- Iquique 60.6
- Copiapó 62.0
- Salta, Argentina 70.4
- San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina 65.3
- Arica 58.5
- Tacna, Peru 64.5
- Tarija, Bolivia 72.1
See Antofagasta on the interactive map → · Safest cities in South America → · Full travel briefings →