Is Ciudad del Este safe?
Paraguay · South America · data updated 2026-09-04
Ciudad del Este is a city in Paraguay, home to about 413k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,845 of 6,168, with a safety score of 55.3 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency Ambulance 141 · Fire 132 · Police 911
- Elevated homicide rate12.1 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 4× the global city median.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Paraguay are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Ciudad del Este really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Ciudad del Este recorded 12 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2021 - roughly 4 times the global city median. Paraguay's income inequality is middling (Gini 44.2) - 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 Paraguay at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-08-18). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Paraguay 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 Paraguay
Terrorism in Paraguay · Demonstrations and protests · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Organised crime · Reporting crime · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · LGBT+ travellers · Risks at public venues · Swimming safety · Road travel · Driving standards · Public transport · River travel · +2 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Paraguay — country-level, not specific to Ciudad del Este. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 12 /100kcity-measured, 2021 · ~4× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 44.2country, 2024
- Human development
- HDI 0.756country, 2023
- Income
- $19,390/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 413kurban centre · 3,786/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 22.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 65/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 47/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 24/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.77Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 15.3 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 64%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.9 doctors /1k1.0 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Paraguay
- Flood
- 5.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 3.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Paraguay as a whole, not Ciudad del Este specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Paraguay (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Paraguay; 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 Ciudad del Este that gives 55.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Ciudad del Este compared with Foz do Iguaçu
| Measure | Ciudad del Este | Foz do Iguaçu | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 55.3 | 47.8 | +7.5 — better for Ciudad del Este |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 12 /100k | 23 /100k | −11 /100k — better for Ciudad del Este |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 44.2 | 50.3 | −6.1 — better for Ciudad del Este |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.756 | 0.786 | −0.030 — better for Foz do Iguaçu |
| Road deaths | 22.0 /100k | 16.0 /100k | +6.0 /100k — better for Foz do Iguaçu |
| Rule of law | 47/100 | 49/100 | −2/100 — better for Foz do Iguaçu |
| Corruption perceptions | 24/100 | 35/100 | −11/100 — better for Foz do Iguaçu |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 15.3 µg/m³ | 13.4 µg/m³ | +1.9 µg/m³ — better for Foz do Iguaçu |
| Natural-hazard risk | 3.1/10 | 4.7/10 | −1.6/10 — better for Ciudad del Este |
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 Foz do Iguaçu →
Nearby cities
- Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil 47.8
- Toledo, Brazil 49.2
- Cascavel, Brazil 49.6
- Caaguazú 59.3
- Coronel Oviedo 59.3
- Encarnacion 59.3
- Posadas, Argentina 65.3
- Chapecó, Brazil 54.0
See Ciudad del Este on the interactive map → · Safest cities in South America → · Full travel briefings →