Debrecen scores 84 out of 100 (very high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 417 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Debrecen safe?

Hungary · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04

84.0Very high · rank 417 / 6,168
safer than 93% of ranked cities

Debrecen is a city in Hungary, home to about 140k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 417 of 6,168, with a safety score of 84.0 out of 100 - among the safest cities in this dataset.

US 1/4 Exercise normal precautions

Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Hungary are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Debrecen really?

No published homicide figure exists for Debrecen itself, so the national rate stands in: Hungary recorded 0.7 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - well below the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Hungary is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 30.6), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Hungary at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-04-14). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Hungary 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 Hungary

Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Scams when paying bills · Bank card fraud · Drink spiking · Personal ID · Illegal drugs · LGBT+ travellers · Festivals · Public transport · Road travel · Driving regulations · Roads that require an e-vignette (toll) · Transporting humanitarian or medical aid · +2 more

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Hungary — country-level, not specific to Debrecen. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 0.7 /100knational rate, 2024
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 30.6country, 2017
Human development: HDI 0.870country, 2023
Income: $48,630/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 140kurban centre · 3,342/km²
Nearest airport: 5 kmDebrecen International Airport (DEB) · also OMR, 60 km

Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 7.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 73/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 60/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 40/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 2.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.83Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 13.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 100%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 3.5 doctors /1k6.6 hospital beds per 1,000

Natural hazards in Hungary

Flood: 7.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 2.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 1.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Hungary as a whole, not Debrecen specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Hungary (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in Hungary; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%78

Peace25%100

Equality25%76

Development10%87

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 Debrecen that gives 84.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Debrecen compared with Oradea

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Debrecen, red favours Oradea.
Measure	Debrecen	Oradea	Difference
Safety score	84.0	80.9	+3.1 — better for Debrecen
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	0.7 /100k	1.1 /100k	−0.4 /100k — better for Debrecen
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	30.6	29.8	+0.8 — better for Oradea
Human development (HDI)	0.870	0.845	+0.025 — better for Debrecen
Road deaths	7.7 /100k	10.3 /100k	−2.6 /100k — better for Debrecen
Rule of law	60/100	63/100	−3/100 — better for Oradea
Corruption perceptions	40/100	45/100	−5/100 — better for Oradea
Air quality (PM2.5)	13.7 µg/m³	16.0 µg/m³	−2.3 µg/m³ — better for Debrecen
Natural-hazard risk	2.2/10	2.8/10	−0.6/10 — better for Debrecen

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 Oradea →

Nearby cities

See Debrecen on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →