Varna scores 88 out of 100 (very high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 130 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 Varna safe?

Bulgaria · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04

87.6Very high · rank 130 / 6,168
safer than 98% of ranked cities

Varna is a city in Bulgaria, home to about 291k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 130 of 6,168, with a safety score of 87.6 out of 100 - among the safest cities in this dataset.

US 1/4 Exercise normal precautions

Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)

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

How safe is Varna really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Varna recorded 0.2 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2016 - well below the global city median. Bulgaria's income inequality is middling (Gini 39.5) - 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 Bulgaria at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2025-10-08). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria

Terrorism in Bulgaria · Protests and demonstrations · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Scams · Thefts from accommodation · Thefts from cars · Property fraud · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and sex offences · Drunken and disorderly behaviour · Football matches · Using cameras and binoculars in secure areas · Working with migrants in border regions · Race-related incidents · +13 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 0.2 /100kcity-measured, 2016
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 39.5country, 2023
Human development: HDI 0.845country, 2023
Income: $42,170/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 291kurban centre · 4,470/km²
Nearest airport: 7 kmVarna Airport (VAR) · also BOJ, 79 km

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

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 9.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 67/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 56/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 40/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 2.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.81Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 19.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 96%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 4.3 doctors /1k8.2 hospital beds per 1,000

Natural hazards in Bulgaria

Earthquake: 6.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 5.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 3.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%100

Peace25%100

Equality25%57

Development10%85

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 Varna that gives 87.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Varna compared with Bucharest

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Varna, red favours Bucharest.
Measure	Varna	Bucharest	Difference
Safety score	87.6	93.0	−5.4 — better for Bucharest
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	0.2 /100k	0.2 /100k	±0.0 /100k
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	39.5	29.8	+9.7 — better for Bucharest
Human development (HDI)	0.845	0.845	±0.000
Road deaths	9.2 /100k	10.3 /100k	−1.1 /100k — better for Varna
Rule of law	56/100	63/100	−7/100 — better for Bucharest
Corruption perceptions	40/100	45/100	−5/100 — better for Bucharest
Air quality (PM2.5)	19.7 µg/m³	16.0 µg/m³	+3.7 µg/m³ — better for Bucharest
Natural-hazard risk	2.7/10	2.8/10	−0.1/10 — better for Varna

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 Bucharest →

Nearby cities

See Varna on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →