Crime in Brussels, Belgium

Crime rates in Brussels, Belgium

Level of crime
59.45 Moderate
Crime increasing in the past 3 years
68.34 High
Worries home broken and things stolen
50.73 Moderate
Worries being mugged or robbed
56.57 Moderate
Worries car stolen
43.48 Moderate
Worries things from car stolen
58.17 Moderate
Worries attacked
57.21 Moderate
Worries being insulted
57.76 Moderate
Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion
40.82 Moderate
Problem people using or dealing drugs
58.79 Moderate
Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft
66.79 High
Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery
51.12 Moderate
Problem corruption and bribery
38.50 Low

Safety in Brussels, Belgium

Safety walking alone during daylight
65.01 High
Safety walking alone during night
34.96 Low

Contributors: 391

Last update: March 2023

These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years.

If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.

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20 Comments so far
Joe on Feb 21, 2021:
Brussels is a special place in Europe; not only is is a very multicultural city that relies almost exclusively on the EU to exist, but it has the most uneven distribution of crime on the entire continent. I've traveled quite a bit, and I have rarely seen a city with such dramatic differences in crime levels between areas. Some parts of Brussels have virtually no crime, whereas others would blush if you called them sketchy. What's even more shocking is that neighboring areas WITHIN certain boroughs/communes have drastically different crime rates. There is no better example than the infamous Molenbeek area; some parts are safe for even the most fragile of individuals, whereas others are worse than the Bronx in the 80s and 90s.

This city is truly a maze of safety.
Dan on Feb 04, 2021:
Brussels is mostly safe, but yes you must know where you go. There some part of brussels that are not safe(ie:south station, north station, North of brussels ect, its hard to say where you are unsecure as its some part of each district.
Im local from brussels.
Anonymous on Dec 18, 2020:
This city is completely unsafe with a very high criminality .
Russel on Jul 25, 2020:
Belgium is on it way to getting crime levels as bad the U.K. but hopefully that will never happen.
Anonyme on Apr 26, 2020:
Brussels only #19 of crime in Europe ? Haha must be higher ...
Always robbery, drugs , terrorism...
jz on Apr 26, 2020:
brussels is many morrocan and terrorism big problem and very much robbery
maro dmo on Apr 26, 2020:
Brussels must be higher in the crime rankings, there are many Moroccans and it is one of the cities where there is the most robbery of Europe and there is a district which it is called Molenbeek is the capital of terrorism
raphael on Nov 26, 2019:
I'm a local from Brussels, I would say it's not dangerous as a whole. Just a lot of thief especially bicycle thief.
Avoid some bad neighborhood like around Gare du Nord, Gare du Midi, and some bad neighborhood and you should be OK :)
So Be It on Nov 08, 2019:
I was harassed during the day in the city centre by guys that seemed Moroccan/Alegerian. Apparently these people don't know how to behave when they see blond women. I was shocked by the stark ethnic segregation of the city.
Anderson on Nov 03, 2019:
To avoid walking solo at night: Anderlecht, near the canal, near de Brouckère station and around Rue Neuve at night (not so much dangerous as just unpleasant), near Gare du Midi (except directly Parvis de St Gilles), Annesseens, the quieter streets just north of the EU quarter. Brussels is safe, but as with everywhere it is not good to walk in certain areas (badly lit and quiet) at night.
beatrice on Oct 24, 2019:
I have lived in Brussels for 10 years now. Just like any big city, you have to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Yes, catcalling happens, it happens everywhere though, not only Brussels and I believe it would be unfair to pin it all on this beautiful city. I have never had any big problems regarding my safety here, rape cases and mugging cases happen, they happen EVERYWHERE. Be vigilant, educate yourself on these cases, be AWARE. Personally I have avoided the dodgy places, such as Gare du Midi, but every city has places you should avoid!!!! Brussels is as safe as many other European cities, it is beautiful and so worth visiting. Underrated city.
A. S. Mathew on Oct 19, 2019:
Made a road trip through 10 European countries in a hurry, walked through the streets of the major cities in the day time. After passing through many U.S. cities (living in the U.S. for 48 years), while watching the far less number of police officers and the sounds of sirens, what I have experienced in the very highly crowded cities like Amsterdam was quite surprising. Hardly any police seen, which means farther less crimes. The people are healthier, hardly any fat people. To the total strangers when I smiled, they smiled. Religion is far less important, and nobody will fight for religion, that is another plus point. Over all, the people are enjoying life with less craving for bigger material possessions of life.
Alice on Oct 15, 2019:
Avoid areas around the Bourse at night, as well as near Gare du Midi and some quieter parts (Schaerbeek, north of the EU quarter, la chasse). For a nicer experience of Brussels, stay near Châtelain, Flagey, Fernand Cocq, Bois de la Cambre.
Henkka on Oct 01, 2019:
@peter: It's true, the Gare du Nord area is definitely not where I'd recommend to go. Not a safe area at all, so avoid it as much as you can, most people in Brussels avoid it too. Same thing with some areas around Schaerbeek and Molenbeek, and surely Gare du Midi at night isn't very nice either. Aside from that, no big deal anywhere else, Brussels is still a pretty nice and safe city worth visiting (at least no less safe than any other European capital).
peter on Sep 29, 2019:
I was in Brussels recently and in one night out of two, in the Gare du Nord area,I was twice manhandled around an arm by two men; one a beggar another a psychopath; only the fact that I'm a big man helped me to pull them away from me unharmed. I don't know whether this is exceptional or typical, but one official tourist guide suggests the latter. I was also amazed at how much that area smelled of urine in the streets; I have never known any other place quite like it. Central and south Brussels seemed alright but that northern area shocked me like no other place has.
Stephanie on Sep 27, 2019:
Hi. Anyone can help me decide if the area around la roue in anderlecht is safe.
Anonymous on Sep 15, 2019:
I've lived in Brussels for 8 years now and think it varies where you go. Near the centre and sketchier areas at night there's a lot of catcalling, drunk people, homeless people and pickpocketing (I even got my phone stolen last week), but apart from the little things that they have in any Capital in Europe, Brussels is quite nice. Although I love Brussels and living here I will admit sometimes the people can act disgusting- if I'm in the centre or less safe areas I will get hit on or even followed by middle aged men (which as a 15 year old girl is disgusting) who are drunk or just creepy. But apart from that I love the architecture, food is great and in my opinion it is beautiful.
Ananymous on Jun 21, 2019:
I've lived in and around Brussels for 4 years. It's true that the city centre isn't very clean and there are loads of North Africans and begging migrants from the Middle East. However I think this makes the city feel less safe than it really is. Cases of people being robbed, attacked etc. are very rare. I've never felt unsafe walking around personally.
Anonymous on May 23, 2019:
Filthy, Dirty, Rude. Dangerous!!! I traveled two months in Europe with never a worry. My bag was taken on the train in front of me. the police and porters were nowhere to be seen. I reported the theft at the next stop. “Yes, that happens a lot on the Brussels train.” “Was it an older man three boys and two old ladies?” YES!! “hum”
Sooo??? Stop IT! Brussels police and train had a Total disregard for the incident.
When I applied for a new passport in Luxembourg, they said was extremely common. Brussels put four guys with machine guns at the train entrance, but do nothing to stop the theft. Beautiful history and buildings. but I won’t be back!!!
John on Apr 19, 2019:
The only people who speak bad about Brussels are obviously extreme right wind idiots with enormous hate against any other race, who are constantly pushing odin, thor and other stupidities trough their white pride terror, and thus they have a serious attitude problem. Brussels is one of the safest and most beautiful cities in Europe. If you do not want to get into trouble, you will NEVER get into trouble if you mind your business, that is everywhere in Europe, except in the USA where you can get killed just because of the brand new sneakers some young criminal wants from you. So, most of the reviews about Brussels here comes from the people who even don't know where Belgium and Brussels are situated, so when I read to the first sentence of the most reviewers here, I get immediate picture about it. Visit Brussels, it is a world class city, very safe and friendly.