Is Vladivostok safe?
Russia · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04
Vladivostok is a city in Russia, home to about 455k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,891 of 6,168, with a safety score of 65.4 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.
Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Russia, updated 2025-12-28.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-07-03.
- Elevated homicide rate7.82 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Russia are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Vladivostok really?
No published homicide figure exists for Vladivostok itself, so the national rate stands in: Russia recorded 7.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 3 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Russia's income inequality is middling (Gini 33.0) - 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 Russia at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-28). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to 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 Russia
Terrorism in Russia · Terrorism in the North Caucasus · Security situation in Russia · Land border crossings · Staying in Russia · Russia’s invasion of Ukraine · Military activity in Kursk Oblast · Foreign fighters · Risk of arrest and detention · Getting help while in detention · Restrictions on publishing and distributing information · International sanctions against Russia · Protests and demonstrations · Protecting your belongings · +28 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Russia — country-level, not specific to Vladivostok. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 7.8 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 33.0country, 2023
- Human development
- HDI 0.832country, 2023
- Income
- $49,220/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 455kurban centre · 4,419/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 12.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 50/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 37/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 22/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.72Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 11.6 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 76%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 5.1 doctors /1k6.8 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Russia
- Flood
- 8.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 5.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 4.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 2.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Russia as a whole, not Vladivostok specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Russia (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Russia; 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 Vladivostok that gives 65.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Vladivostok compared with Mudanjiang
| Measure | Vladivostok | Mudanjiang | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 65.4 | 82.7 | −17.3 — better for Mudanjiang |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 7.8 /100k | 0.5 /100k | +7.3 /100k — better for Mudanjiang |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 33.0 | 36.0 | −3.0 — better for Vladivostok |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.832 | 0.797 | +0.035 — better for Vladivostok |
| Road deaths | 12.0 /100k | 17.4 /100k | −5.4 /100k — better for Vladivostok |
| Rule of law | 37/100 | 47/100 | −10/100 — better for Mudanjiang |
| Corruption perceptions | 22/100 | 43/100 | −21/100 — better for Mudanjiang |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 11.6 µg/m³ | 32.0 µg/m³ | −20.4 µg/m³ — better for Vladivostok |
| Natural-hazard risk | 3.8/10 | 2.9/10 | +0.9/10 — better for Mudanjiang |
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 Mudanjiang →
Nearby cities
- Ussurijsk 65.4
- Haidong, China 82.7
- Suifenhe, China 82.7
- Rason, North Korea n/a
- Yanji, China 82.7
- Chŏngjin, North Korea n/a
- Musan, North Korea n/a
- Mudanjiang, China 82.7
See Vladivostok on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →