Is Barreiro safe?
Portugal · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04
Barreiro is a city in Portugal, home to about 142k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,920 of 6,168, with a safety score of 74.4 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Portugal are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Barreiro really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Barreiro recorded 2.2 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2015 - close to the global city median. Portugal's income inequality is middling (Gini 33.9) - 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 Portugal at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2025-03-02). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Portugal 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 Portugal
Terrorism in Portugal · Political Demonstrations · Strike action · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Attacks and sexual assault · Drink spiking and alcohol · Personal ID · Gambling · Illegal drugs · Local laws governing public behaviour in Albufeira · Festivals, concerts and cultural events · Beaches and swimming · Swimming pools · Beaches · +8 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Portugal — country-level, not specific to Barreiro. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 2.2 /100kcity-measured, 2015
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 33.9country, 2023
- Human development
- HDI 0.890country, 2023
- Income
- $52,240/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 142kurban centre · 4,310/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 8.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 75/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 75/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 56/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 1.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.86Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 8.8 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 95%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 5.8 doctors /1k3.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Portugal
- Tsunami
- 4.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 3.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 2.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Portugal as a whole, not Barreiro specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Portugal (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Portugal; 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 Barreiro that gives 74.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Barreiro compared with Lisbon
| Measure | Barreiro | Lisbon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 74.4 | 74.4 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 2.2 /100k | 2.2 /100k | ±0.0 /100k |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Portugal, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Lisbon →
Nearby cities
- Almada 74.4
- Lisbon 74.4
- Badajoz, Spain 82.7
- Huelva, Spain 82.7
- Porto 82.3
- Mairena del Aljarafe, Spain 82.7
- Seville, Spain 82.7
- Braga 82.3
See Barreiro on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →