Safest cities in Serbia
4 cities with 100k+ population · data updated 2026-09-04
What official travel advice warns about
Terrorism
- Terrorism in SerbiaTerrorist attacks in Serbia cannot be ruled out.
Political situation
- Mass gatherings and demonstrations are taking place in Belgrade and other towns and cities. These can happen at short notice and cause significant disruption, including to public transport and mobile phone networks. Most gatherings are peaceful but there is the potential for things to escalate quickly. Some demonstrations have turned violent. To…
Crime
- Protecting yourself and your belongingsTake sensible precautions to protect yourself from street crime, particularly in larger cities. Pickpockets work in tourist areas, airports, on public transport and at motorway service stations.
Sporting events
- Some sporting events have had incidents of violence and petty crime. Incidents are common, particularly in and around derby matches between Red Star and Partizan in Belgrade. Take extra care in and around stadiums when matches are taking place.
Unexploded landmines and bombs
- There is still some danger from unexploded landmines and bombs from the 1999 Kosovo conflict. Most of the affected areas are in the mountains to the north and east of Kosovo. Take special care in these areas and keep to marked roads.
Laws and cultural differences
- Personal IDYou must always carry your passport or – if you are a resident – your ID card for identification purposes. Keep a copy separately in a safe place.
- Illegal drugsThere are strict penalties for possessing and trafficking drugs, including cannabis.
- Using cameras in secure areasTaking photographs of military and police installations, personnel or vehicles anywhere in Serbia may lead to arrest or difficulties with the authorities.
- LGBT+ travellersSame-sex sexual activity is legal in Serbia, and there are anti-discrimination laws. There are LGBT+ friendly hostels, clubs and other events in Belgrade. However, the level of public prejudice against LGBT+ people is still relatively high. Showing affection in public could result in unwanted attention.
Transport risks
- Road travelIf you are planning to drive in Serbia, see information on driving abroad and check the rules of the road in the RAC’s Serbia guide. The guide lists driving regulations and other legal requirements you need to be aware of.
- Road conditionsThe general standard of roads in Serbia varies widely. Roads are worse in rural areas, especially after bad weather. One particularly dangerous road is the Ibarska Magistrala (linking Belgrade, via Čačak and Užice, to Montenegro).
- Car hireMany Serbian car hire firms will not allow you to drive their vehicles into Kosovo, Albania or Bulgaria because of security concerns. There have been some incidents where Serbian registered cars have been vandalised, or in some cases set on fire, in more isolated areas of Kosovo.
- Bringing a vehicle into SerbiaIf you are bringing a vehicle into Serbia, you must have vehicle registration and ownership documents and a locally valid insurance policy.
- TaxisYou should only use registered taxis – look for a municipal registration number alongside the cab number. Instead of hailing a taxi, you can call one of the radio taxi phone numbers – most operators speak English.
- Rail travelTrains can be slow, particularly in winter when there are often long delays. Each carriage has an attendant, and local police may carry out random ID checks.
Extreme weather and natural disasters
- WildfiresWildfires are possible in Serbia from April to October due to the dry and hot weather. Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. You should:
- FloodingParts of Serbia can flood after heavy rain. See flood warnings from the Serbian Hydrometeorological Service. If floods affect your area, follow the instructions of the Serbian authorities.
- EarthquakesThere is a risk of earthquakes in Serbia, and earth tremors are common. Serious earthquakes are less frequent but can occur. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has advice on what to before, during and after an earthquake.
Headings and opening lines from the UK FCDO “Safety and security” travel advice for Serbia, updated 2026-08-13 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Read the full advice on gov.uk →
Country figures
- Homicide rate
- 0.89 /100k2024
- Income inequality
- Gini 32.82023
- Human development
- HDI 0.8332023
- Income
- $31,780/yrGNI per capita PPP
- Road deaths
- 7.5 /100kWHO, 2019
- Political stability
- 63/100WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 54/100WGI, 2024
- Corruption perceptions
- 33/100Transparency Intl, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.84GIWPS, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 19.3 µg/m³PM2.5, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safe drinking water
- 75%of population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.1 doctors /1k5.8 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards
- Flood
- 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 5.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 2.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Serbia (as of 2025).
How Serbia compares
| Measure | Serbia | World median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate | 0.9 /100k | 2.4 /100k | −1.5 /100k — better for Serbia |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 32.8 | 35.2 | −2.4 — better for Serbia |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.833 | 0.763 | +0.070 — better for Serbia |
| Road deaths | 7.5 /100k | 15.4 /100k | −7.9 /100k — better for Serbia |
| Rule of law | 54/100 | 52/100 | +2/100 — better for Serbia |
| Corruption perceptions | 33/100 | 39/100 | −6/100 — better for World median |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 19.3 µg/m³ | 19.7 µg/m³ | −0.4 µg/m³ — better for Serbia |
| Natural-hazard risk | 3.4/10 | 3.8/10 | −0.4/10 — better for Serbia |
| Measure | Serbia | Europe median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate | 0.9 /100k | 1.0 /100k | −0.1 /100k — better for Serbia |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 32.8 | 30.6 | +2.2 — better for Europe median |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.833 | 0.911 | −0.079 — better for Europe median |
| Road deaths | 7.5 /100k | 5.5 /100k | +2.0 /100k — better for Europe median |
| Rule of law | 54/100 | 74/100 | −20/100 — better for Europe median |
| Corruption perceptions | 33/100 | 57/100 | −24/100 — better for Europe median |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 19.3 µg/m³ | 11.2 µg/m³ | +8.1 µg/m³ — better for Europe median |
| Natural-hazard risk | 3.4/10 | 2.5/10 | +0.9/10 — better for Europe median |
Medians, not means, so one extreme country cannot drag the reference value. Each row compares only the countries that have a published figure for that measure, and differences are plain arithmetic between stored values.
All 4 cities, safest first
- Niš80.7 · #1822 worldwide
- Kragujevac80.7 · #1823 worldwide
- Belgrade77.6 · #2083 worldwide
- Novi Sad77.6 · #2084 worldwide