Tarija scores 72 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 3160 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 Tarija safe?

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

72.1High · rank 3160 / 6,168
safer than 49% of ranked cities

Tarija is a city in Bolivia, home to about 235k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,160 of 6,168, with a safety score of 72.1 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.

US 2/4 Exercise increased caution UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of this country

Emergency Ambulance 118 · Police 110 · Fire 119

UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-08-21.

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

How safe is Tarija really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Tarija recorded 1.4 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2023 - well below the global city median. Bolivia's income inequality is middling (Gini 40.9) - 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 Bolivia at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-04-27). The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of this country. 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 Bolivia

Terrorism in Bolivia · Protecting your belongings · Criminals impersonating Police Officers · Violent crime · Political Situation · Criminal Kidnap · Sexual assault · Prison tours · Personal ID · Illegal bars · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Ayahuasca ceremonies · Using cameras and binoculars in remote areas · LGBT+ travellers · +10 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 1.4 /100kcity-measured, 2023
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 40.9country, 2024
Human development: HDI 0.733country, 2023
Income: $12,530/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 235kurban centre · 5,345/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 21.1 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 57/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 35/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 28/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 4.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.70Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 28.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 1.3 doctors /1k1.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 4 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Bolivia

Drought: 7.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 7.1/10EU 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 Bolivia as a whole, not Tarija specifically.

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%66

Peace25%100

Equality25%54

Development10%73

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 Tarija that gives 72.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Tarija compared with Salta

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Tarija, red favours Salta.
Measure	Tarija	Salta	Difference
Safety score	72.1	70.4	+1.7 — better for Tarija
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	1.4 /100k	1.9 /100k	−0.5 /100k — better for Tarija
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	40.9	42.4	−1.5 — better for Tarija
Human development (HDI)	0.733	0.865	−0.132 — better for Salta
Road deaths	21.1 /100k	14.1 /100k	+7.0 /100k — better for Salta
Rule of law	35/100	53/100	−18/100 — better for Salta
Corruption perceptions	28/100	36/100	−8/100 — better for Salta
Air quality (PM2.5)	28.1 µg/m³	14.3 µg/m³	+13.8 µg/m³ — better for Salta
Natural-hazard risk	4.9/10	3.9/10	+1.0/10 — better for Salta

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 Salta →

Nearby cities

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