Valdivia scores 62 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4273 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 Valdivia safe?

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

62.0High · rank 4273 / 6,168
safer than 31% of ranked cities

Valdivia is a city in Chile, home to about 151k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,273 of 6,168, with a safety score of 62.0 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 rate6.11 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), 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 Valdivia really?

No published homicide figure exists for Valdivia itself, so the national rate stands in: Chile recorded 6.1 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 2 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. 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 Valdivia. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 6.1 /100knational rate, 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: 151kurban centre · 5,201/km²
Nearest airport: 112 kmLa Araucanía International Airport (ZCO)

Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).

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 Valdivia 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%40

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 Valdivia that gives 62.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Valdivia compared with Concepción

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Valdivia, red favours Concepción.
Measure	Valdivia	Concepción	Difference
Safety score	62.0	61.8	+0.2 — better for Valdivia
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	6.1 /100k	6.3 /100k	−0.2 /100k — better for Valdivia
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

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