Is Belfast safe?
United Kingdom · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04
Belfast is a city in United Kingdom, home to about 442k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,101 of 6,168, with a safety score of 73.1 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for United Kingdom are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Belfast really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Belfast recorded 3.2 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2015 - close to the global city median. United Kingdom's income inequality is middling (Gini 32.4) - 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 United Kingdom at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-05-07). 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.
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 3.2 /100kcity-measured, 2015
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 32.4country, 2021
- Human development
- HDI 0.946country, 2023
- Income
- $64,210/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 442kurban centre · 3,134/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 3.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 70/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 79/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 70/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.86Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 9.5 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 100%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.3 doctors /1k2.4 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in United Kingdom
- Flood
- 5.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 1.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 1.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe United Kingdom as a whole, not Belfast specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in United Kingdom (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in United Kingdom; 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 Belfast that gives 73.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Belfast compared with Dublin
| Measure | Belfast | Dublin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 73.1 | 81.4 | −8.2 — better for Dublin |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 3.2 /100k | 1.3 /100k | +1.9 /100k — better for Dublin |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 32.4 | 29.0 | +3.4 — better for Dublin |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.946 | 0.949 | −0.003 — better for Dublin |
| Road deaths | 3.2 /100k | 3.1 /100k | +0.1 /100k — better for Dublin |
| Rule of law | 79/100 | 84/100 | −5/100 — better for Dublin |
| Corruption perceptions | 70/100 | 76/100 | −6/100 — better for Dublin |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 9.5 µg/m³ | 7.5 µg/m³ | +2.0 µg/m³ — better for Dublin |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.2/10 | 2.3/10 | −0.1/10 — better for Belfast |
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 Dublin →
Nearby cities
- Blanchardstown, Ireland 81.4
- Dublin, Ireland 81.4
- Glasgow 76.4
- Wishaw 76.4
- Blackpool 81.8
- Edinburgh 81.8
- Preston 81.8
- Liverpool 81.8
See Belfast on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →