Is Temuco safe?
Chile · South America · data updated 2026-09-04
Temuco is a city in Chile, home to about 352k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,778 of 6,168, with a safety score of 67.0 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
Emergency Ambulance 131 · Fire 132 · Police 133
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 Temuco really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Temuco recorded 3.0 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - close to 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 Temuco. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 3.0 /100kcity-measured, 2024
- 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
- 352kurban centre · 5,681/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 Temuco 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
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 Temuco that gives 67.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Temuco compared with Concepción
| Measure | Temuco | Concepción | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 67.0 | 61.8 | +5.2 — better for Temuco |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 3.0 /100k | 6.3 /100k | −3.3 /100k — better for Temuco |
| 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 Concepción →
Nearby cities
- Valdivia 62.0
- Los Ángeles 62.0
- Coronel 61.8
- Chiguayante 61.8
- Osorno 62.0
- Concepción 61.8
- Chillán 62.0
- San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina 65.3
See Temuco on the interactive map → · Safest cities in South America → · Full travel briefings →