Is Durban safe?
South Africa · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Durban is a city in South Africa, home to about 3.2M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,889 of 6,168, with a safety score of 38.5 out of 100 - in the lower part of the ranking, and the numbers below explain why.
Emergency All emergencies from mobiles 112 · Ambulance and fire 10177 · Police 10111 · National Sea and Rescue Institute 112 or +27 87 094 9774 · Wilderness Search and Rescue +27 21 937 0300
- Very high homicide rate65.1 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 24× the global city median.
- High income inequalityGini 54.1 puts South Africa in the most unequal quarter of countries - the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset (street crime and robbery tend to track it).
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for South Africa are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Durban really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Durban recorded 65 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - roughly 24 times the global city median. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and South Africa's Gini of 54.1 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates South Africa at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-05-26). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for South Africa 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 South Africa
Terrorism in South Africa · Israel and Palestine conflict · Political situation · Crime locations · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Airport crime · Cape Town airport road attacks · Vehicle crime · Criminal kidnap · Solo and women travellers · Fraud and scams · Nightlife and dating · ATMs and money exchanges · Table Mountain National Park attacks · +21 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for South Africa — country-level, not specific to Durban. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 65 /100kcity-measured, 2024 · ~24× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 54.1country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.741country, 2023
- Income
- $15,600/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 3.2Murban centre · 4,389/km²
- Nearest airport
- 29 kmKing Shaka International Airport (DUR)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 22.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 55/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 57/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 41/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 5.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.65Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 27.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 68%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.8 doctors /1k2.3 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in South Africa
- Drought
- 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 1.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 1.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 1.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe South Africa as a whole, not Durban specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Africa (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in South Africa; 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 Durban that gives 38.5/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Durban compared with Mpumalanga
| Measure | Durban | Mpumalanga | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 38.5 | 41.4 | −2.9 — better for Mpumalanga |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 65 /100k | 40 /100k | +25 /100k — better for Mpumalanga |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in South Africa, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Mpumalanga →
Nearby cities
- Mpumalanga 41.4
- Bombay Heights 39.7
- Edendale 39.7
- Madadeni 39.5
- Phuthaditjhaba 41.4
- Maseru, Lesotho 42.7
- eMbalenhle 39.5
- Botshabelo-N 41.4
See Durban on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →