Is Port Louis safe?
Mauritius · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Port Louis is a city in Mauritius, home to about 549k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,347 of 6,168, with a safety score of 70.6 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
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No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Mauritius are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Port Louis really?
No published homicide figure exists for Port Louis itself, so the national rate stands in: Mauritius recorded 2.7 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Mauritius's income inequality is middling (Gini 36.8) - 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 Mauritius at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-12-07). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Mauritius 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 Mauritius
Terrorism in Mauritius · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Personal ID · Cigarette paper · Illegal drugs · Police investigations · LGBT+ travellers · Water sports · Road travel · Driving conditions · Sea travel · Tropical cyclones · Landslides
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Mauritius — country-level, not specific to Port Louis. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 2.7 /100knational rate, 2024
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 36.8country, 2017
- Human development
- HDI 0.806country, 2023
- Income
- $37,000/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 549kurban centre · 4,067/km²
- Nearest airport
- 35 kmSir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 12.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 79/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 68/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 48/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.68Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 14.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 1.4 doctors /1k3.8 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Mauritius
- Cyclone
- 7.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 4.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Mauritius as a whole, not Port Louis specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Mauritius (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Mauritius; 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 Port Louis that gives 70.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Port Louis compared with Antananarivo
| Measure | Port Louis | Antananarivo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 70.6 | 59.9 | +10.6 — better for Port Louis |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 2.7 /100k | 7.7 /100k | −5.0 /100k — better for Port Louis |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 36.8 | 36.8 | ±0.0 |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.806 | 0.487 | +0.319 — better for Port Louis |
| Road deaths | 12.2 /100k | 29.2 /100k | −17.0 /100k — better for Port Louis |
| Rule of law | 68/100 | 42/100 | +26/100 — better for Port Louis |
| Corruption perceptions | 48/100 | 25/100 | +23/100 — better for Port Louis |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 14.1 µg/m³ | 12.4 µg/m³ | +1.7 µg/m³ — better for Antananarivo |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.0/10 | 5.7/10 | −3.7/10 — better for Port Louis |
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 Antananarivo →
Nearby cities
- Saint-Denis, Réunion 76.4
- Antetezambaro, Madagascar 59.4
- Antsiramandroso, Madagascar 59.4
- Antananarivo, Madagascar 59.9
- Ambano, Madagascar 75.9
- Ambatolahy II, Madagascar 75.9
- Amparihimahitsy, Madagascar 55.9
- Mahajanga, Madagascar 55.9
See Port Louis on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →