Is Haarlem safe?
Netherlands · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04
Haarlem is a city in Netherlands, home to about 215k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 230 of 6,168, with a safety score of 85.1 out of 100, which puts it in the top band of the ranking.
Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Netherlands are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Haarlem really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Haarlem recorded 1.0 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2022 - well below the global city median. Netherlands is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 25.7), 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 Netherlands at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2024-08-08). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Netherlands 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 Netherlands
Terrorism in the Netherlands · Protecting your belongings · Fake police scams · Drug sellers · Drink spiking · Organised crime · Personal ID · Illegal drugs · Canal laws and dangers · Road travel · Driving regulations · Pedestrian safety
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Netherlands — country-level, not specific to Haarlem. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 1.0 /100kcity-measured, 2022
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 25.7country, 2021
- Human development
- HDI 0.955country, 2023
- Income
- $85,480/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 215kurban centre · 4,896/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 4.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 73/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 86/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 78/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.91Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 8.6 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 100%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.9 doctors /1k2.4 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Netherlands
- Flood
- 8.6/10EU 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 Netherlands as a whole, not Haarlem specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Netherlands (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Netherlands; 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 Haarlem that gives 85.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Haarlem compared with Amsterdam
| Measure | Haarlem | Amsterdam | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 85.1 | 85.1 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.0 /100k | 1.0 /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 Netherlands, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Amsterdam →
Nearby cities
- Heemskerk 85.1
- Amsterdam 85.1
- Leiden 78.4
- Alkmaar 88.0
- Zoetermeer 78.4
- Almere 85.1
- The Hague 78.4
- The Hague 78.4
See Haarlem on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →