Tumbes scores 48 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5346 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 Tumbes safe?

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

48.2Moderate · rank 5346 / 6,168
safer than 13% of ranked cities

Tumbes is a city in Peru, home to about 107k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,346 of 6,168, with a safety score of 48.2 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.

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

Emergency Ambulance 106 · Fire 116 · Police 105

UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of this country4 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
Elevated homicide rate8.6 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.

Deadliest recorded locations nearby

Ponce Enríquez Canton15 deaths · 1 event
Puerto Bolívar (Machala, el Oro)9 deaths · 1 event
a mine in the Camilo Ponce Enríquez canton, in the province of Azuay5 deaths · 1 event

UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Tumbes, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.

Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country

Within 20km south of the Peru-Colombia border
Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM)
the Amazon River
the area of the triple border with Brazil and Colombia from and including the towns of Caballococha in Peru up to the actual triple border at Santa Rosa de Yavari town

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

How safe is Tumbes really?

No published homicide figure exists for Tumbes itself, so the national rate stands in: Peru recorded 8.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2021 - roughly 3 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Peru's income inequality is middling (Gini 40.1) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

Tumbes also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 89 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 36 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Ponce Enríquez Canton (15 deaths), Puerto Bolívar (Machala, el Oro) (9 deaths), a mine in the Camilo Ponce Enríquez canton, in the province of Azuay (5 deaths).

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Peru at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-05-15). The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of this country, naming 4 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 Peru

Terrorism in Peru · Political situation · Organised crime · Street crime · Protecting your belongings · Fake taxi drivers · Kidnappings and hold-ups · Sexual assault · Methanol poisoning · Money scams · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Military photography · LGBT+ travellers · +11 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 8.6 /100knational rate, 2021 · ~3× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 89within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 40.1country, 2024
Human development: HDI 0.794country, 2023
Income: $17,540/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 107kurban centre · 5,332/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 13.6 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 55/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 48/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 30/100Transparency 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: 31.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 49%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 1.7 doctors /1k1.6 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 3 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Peru

Earthquake: 9.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 9.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 6.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%34

Peace25%51

Equality25%55

Development10%79

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 Tumbes that gives 48.2/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Tumbes compared with Guayaquil

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Tumbes, red favours Guayaquil.
Measure	Tumbes	Guayaquil	Difference
Safety score	48.2	27.0	+21.2 — better for Tumbes
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	8.6 /100k	66 /100k	−58 /100k — better for Tumbes
Conflict deaths within 100 km	89	419	−330 — better for Tumbes
Income inequality (Gini)	40.1	45.9	−5.8 — better for Tumbes
Human development (HDI)	0.794	0.777	+0.017 — better for Tumbes
Road deaths	13.6 /100k	20.1 /100k	−6.5 /100k — better for Tumbes
Rule of law	48/100	40/100	+8/100 — better for Tumbes
Corruption perceptions	30/100	33/100	−3/100 — better for Guayaquil
Air quality (PM2.5)	31.1 µg/m³	18.6 µg/m³	+12.5 µg/m³ — better for Guayaquil
Natural-hazard risk	4.9/10	5.8/10	−0.9/10 — better for Tumbes

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 Guayaquil →

Nearby cities

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