Santiago scores 61 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4330 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 Santiago safe?

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

61.5High · rank 4330 / 6,168
safer than 30% of ranked cities

Santiago is a city in Chile, home to about 6.7M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,330 of 6,168, with a safety score of 61.5 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.

US 2/4 Exercise increased caution

Emergency Ambulance 131 · Fire 132 · Police 133

Elevated homicide rate6.6 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 2× the global city median.

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

How safe is Santiago really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Santiago recorded 6.6 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - roughly 2 times the global city median. Chile's income inequality is middling (Gini 43.0) - 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 Chile at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-05-19). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Chile 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 Chile

Terrorism in Chile · Political situation · Taxi scams at Santiago Airport · Protecting your belongings · Violent theft (muggings) · Vehicle crime · Drink spiking · Personal ID · Alcohol laws and bans · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · LGBT+ travellers · Fires in national parks · Hiking and mountaineering · Road travel · +6 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 6.6 /100kcity-measured, 2024 · ~2× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 43.0country, 2024
Human development: HDI 0.878country, 2023
Income: $35,730/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 6.7Murban centre · 8,376/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 14.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 68/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 69/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 63/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 3.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.74Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 23.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 98%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 3.3 doctors /1k1.9 hospital beds per 1,000

Natural hazards in Chile

Earthquake: 9.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 5.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%39

Peace25%100

Equality25%49

Development10%88

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 Santiago that gives 61.5/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Santiago compared with Valparaíso

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Santiago, red favours Valparaíso.
Measure	Santiago	Valparaíso	Difference
Safety score	61.5	60.2	+1.3 — better for Santiago
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	6.6 /100k	7.9 /100k	−1.3 /100k — better for Santiago
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Chile, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Valparaíso →

Nearby cities

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