Mérida scores 50 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5172 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 Mérida safe?

Venezuela · South America · data updated 2026-09-04

50.3Moderate · rank 5172 / 6,168
safer than 16% of ranked cities

Mérida is a city in Venezuela, home to about 213k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,172 of 6,168, with a safety score of 50.3 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.

US 3/4 Reconsider travel UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country

Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)

US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for Venezuela, updated 2026-03-18.
UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country18 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
Very high homicide rate22.2 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 8× the global city median.

Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country

Border areas
Bolívar
Delta Amacuro
Zulia
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the remaining areas of Venezuela
within 80km (50 miles) of the border with Colombia
within 40km (25 miles) of the border with Brazil
within 40km (25 miles) of the border with Guyana
all of Cedeño Municipality
the northern part of Sucre Municipality, from the Orinoco river to 80km south of the Troncal 19 road
all of Heres Municpality
the northern part of Raul Leoni Municipality, north of the Rio Paragua
all of Caroni Municipality
all of Piar Municipality
all of Padre Pedro Chien Municipality
all of Roscio Municipality
all of El Callo Municipality
all of Sifontes Municipality

Named in the official UK travel advice for Venezuela (in full or in part - the advisory lists exact boundaries and exceptions). These are country-level warnings and may be far from Mérida.

How safe is Mérida really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Mérida recorded 22 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2023 - roughly 8 times the global city median. Venezuela's income inequality is middling (Gini 44.7) - 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 Venezuela at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-03-18). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country, naming 18 specific areas - listed above with the official advisory linked for exact boundaries and exceptions. 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 Venezuela

Terrorism in Venezuela · Political and economic situation · Protests and demonstrations · Crime in rural areas · Armed groups · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Using cameras and binoculars in secure areas · Networks and internet · LGBT+ travellers · Age of consent · Swimming safety · Travelling to and from Maiquetia Airport, Caracas · Road travel · +5 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 22 /100kcity-measured, 2023 · ~8× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 44.7country, 2006
Human development: HDI 0.709country, 2023
Income: $20,840/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 213kurban centre · 6,265/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 39.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 36/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 19/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 10/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 6.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.64Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 19.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 1.7 doctors /1k1.0 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 8 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Venezuela

Earthquake: 8.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 5.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Cyclone: 5.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 5.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 1.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%17

Peace25%100

Equality25%45

Development10%71

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 Mérida that gives 50.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Mérida compared with Cúcuta

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Mérida, red favours Cúcuta.
Measure	Mérida	Cúcuta	Difference
Safety score	50.3	30.0	+20.3 — better for Mérida
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	22 /100k	35 /100k	−13 /100k — better for Mérida
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	97	−97 — better for Mérida
Income inequality (Gini)	44.7	54.4	−9.7 — better for Mérida
Human development (HDI)	0.709	0.788	−0.079 — better for Cúcuta
Road deaths	39.0 /100k	15.4 /100k	+23.6 /100k — better for Cúcuta
Rule of law	19/100	47/100	−28/100 — better for Cúcuta
Corruption perceptions	10/100	37/100	−27/100 — better for Cúcuta
Air quality (PM2.5)	19.2 µg/m³	18.4 µg/m³	+0.8 µg/m³ — better for Cúcuta
Natural-hazard risk	6.4/10	5.3/10	+1.1/10 — better for Cúcuta

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 Cúcuta →

Nearby cities

See Mérida on the interactive map → · Safest cities in South America → · Full travel briefings →