Is Winnipeg safe?
Canada · North America · data updated 2026-09-04
Winnipeg is a city in Canada, home to about 679k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,533 of 6,168, with a safety score of 69.0 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.
Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)
- Elevated homicide rate6.1 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 2× the global city median.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Canada are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Winnipeg really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Winnipeg recorded 6.1 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2022 - roughly 2 times the global city median. Canada is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 31.5), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Canada at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2025-06-10). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Canada 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 Canada
Terrorism in Canada · Crime · Illegal drugs and cannabis · Wildlife · Outdoor activities and adventure tourism · Road travel · Driving in winter · Hurricanes · Avalanches · Earthquakes and tsunamis · Thunderstorms · Winter storms · Tornadoes · Wildfires · +1 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Canada — country-level, not specific to Winnipeg. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 6.1 /100kcity-measured, 2022 · ~2× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 31.5country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.939country, 2023
- Income
- $66,820/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 679kurban centre · 3,018/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 5.3 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 76/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 82/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 75/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.89Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 6.6 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 97%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 2.8 doctors /1k2.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Canada
- Flood
- 7.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 5.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 4.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 2.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 1.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Canada as a whole, not Winnipeg specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Canada (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Canada; 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 Winnipeg that gives 69.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Winnipeg compared with Minneapolis [Saint Paul]
| Measure | Winnipeg | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 69.0 | 55.8 | +13.2 — better for Winnipeg |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 6.1 /100k | 18 /100k | −12 /100k — better for Winnipeg |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 31.5 | 41.8 | −10.3 — better for Winnipeg |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.939 | 0.938 | +0.001 — better for Winnipeg |
| Road deaths | 5.3 /100k | 12.7 /100k | −7.4 /100k — better for Winnipeg |
| Rule of law | 82/100 | 74/100 | +8/100 — better for Winnipeg |
| Corruption perceptions | 75/100 | 64/100 | +11/100 — better for Winnipeg |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 6.6 µg/m³ | 7.0 µg/m³ | −0.4 µg/m³ — better for Winnipeg |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.6/10 | 3.3/10 | −0.7/10 — better for Winnipeg |
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 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] →
Nearby cities
- Regina 74.0
- Minneapolis [Saint Paul], United States 55.8
- Saskatoon 71.0
- Urbandale, United States 63.7
- Madison, United States 70.8
- Omaha, United States 66.4
- Lincoln, United States 69.8
- Milwaukee, United States 53.9
See Winnipeg on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →