NUMBEO

Crime in Madrid, Spain

Crime rates in Madrid, Spain

Level of crime
26.57 Low
Crime increasing in the past 3 years
55.86 Moderate
Worries home broken and things stolen
28.63 Low
Worries being mugged or robbed
30.02 Low
Worries car stolen
24.13 Low
Worries things from car stolen
37.24 Low
Worries attacked
22.23 Low
Worries being insulted
25.70 Low
Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin colour, ethnic origin or religion
19.20 Very Low
Problem people using or dealing drugs
38.94 Low
Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft
40.22 Moderate
Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery
23.26 Low
Problem corruption and bribery
58.95 Moderate

Safety in Madrid, Spain

Safety walking alone during daylight
88.32 Very High
Safety walking alone during night
71.58 High

Contributors: 295

Last update: October 2019

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.

Sign up for our newsletter:
Your email address:
This page in other languages:

DeutschKriminalität in Madrid
PortuguêsCrime em Madrid
ItalianoCriminalità a Madrid
FrançaisCriminalité à Madrid
EspañolCriminalidad en Madrid

Leave a comment:
Your name: Sign In
Your email address (optional):
Your comment (no HTML):

18 Comments so far

#Sophie on Sep 23, 2019 :
We had our belonguins stolen by pickpockets.

In our way back home, other travellers in the plane told us they were mugged.

Avoid Madrid at any cost.
#Victor on Sep 05, 2019 :
My wife and me were mugged in Madrid, general perception of lack of safety even in highstreet, can't be considered ad a safe place.
#Klaus on Aug 31, 2019 :
Went there on business, quite dangerous city you must be so street wise, otherwise you are likely to be victim of violent crime.
I had my laptop stolen, police station are overcrowded, I gave up after 1 hour waiting and queing up.
#Jenny on Aug 26, 2019 :
Appalling situation of the street crime this summer.
Went in a tour, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla and Madrid. Only in Madrid I was molested by an aggressive group of Argelians and a friend of mine was mugged and seriously injured.
I am afraid I can't recommend.
#Stuart on Aug 24, 2019 :
Watch out !, there is a serious issue of violent crime in Madrid.
We stayed there 1 week spring 2019 and 7 chaps were stabbed in the street in 1 single day !
Neighbourhoods such as Malasana, Lavapie or Chueca were taken over by pickpockets and violent junkies, recently were extremely violent riots of Somalians some times fighting the police, some other fighting groups or Argelians with several seriously injured.
We could not get around alone at night since there are dangerous gangs of Moroquians chasing tourists, we won't be back.
Even the airport is unsafe, people has been stabbed there, smth I have never seen in any other European city !
#Nicola on Aug 24, 2019 :
Me and two friends were mugged, a friend from RSA had his wallet stolen.
Plenty of aggressive Nigerians selling fake gods in the downtown, they even dare to challenge the police, even in high street, as if we were in Lagos.
Going outdoors at night might be so dangerous.
Definitely a quite dangerous, city specially at night.
#Anonymous on Jul 03, 2019 :
The police corruption/bribery in Madrid is 0, who are the ret***rds which constantly vote Madrid with high levels of corruption? There is 0 corruption in Spain amongst the police or public services. The only corruption Spain has is the political one !!!

Try to bribe a cop in Spain and you get directly to jail. They are well paid, from my personal experience in Western europe, only Italian police is slightly corrupt.
#Toto on Jan 27, 2019 :
AS a tour guide and expat i see and hear a lot. In the past six years Madrid has cleaned up and tripled its police force leading to almost no crime from my point of view. 10 years ago many customers had been victims before i met them, over the past 3 years....only one. Madrid is safe at anytime as in the summer i go cycling with my 5 years old at midnight with no worries.....
#Breixo on Dec 13, 2018 :
Jane, you remind me of an American lady on a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Miami. She told me that she had lived several years in Spain and that she still remembered ... I made the gesture of an elephant's trunk, Elephants?, I told her and she answered, "yes". Obviously, he was referring to bulls and bullfights. Later she explained that she had really lived isolated in what was the El Encinar de los Reyes urbanization, a true "ghetto" of the Americans in Madrid (military from the Torrejón air base), with their own firefighters, American schools, sheriff, and signs and advices in English.
As the lady of the anecdote, Jane has not known Madrid, in fact, I doubt she has not even been to Madrid or she may have been in a "Madrid" of the 35 cities with the name Madrid in the whole world: Canada (1), Chile (1), Colombia (5), Dominican Republic (1), Spain (1), Equatorial Guinea (1), Mexico (1), Philippines (2), Puerto Rico (1), Sweden (1), the United States (11), and South Africa (9) ... and you can see them all on their corresponding map.

Madrid is a populous city of 3.2 million inhabitants, which is ranked 12th among the safest cities in the world and ranked 5th among the safest cities in Europe, followed in 6th by Barcelona (Europe is the safest continent) of the world), ahead only has cities as sparsely populated as boring, Amsterdam (0.8 million inhabitants), Stockholm (0.9), Zurich (0.42) and Frankfurt (0.8).

See that: http://safecities.economist.com/safe-cities-index-2017
#pagancelt on Jun 07, 2018 :
I'm Irish, I've lived in Madrid for almost 2 years, working as a teacher. I have lived in New York, Dallas, Connecticut, London and Dublin, and I find Madrid to be safer and friendlier than any of the above. I have come home at all hours of the day and night, walked alone through many streets, and never had a problem - except occasionally with attempted pickpocketing (never violent). Usually late at night, when I was under the influence! I was pick-pocketed successfully only once, in my first week here on Cava Baja by a guy who came up offering a "high five" (to get your hand in the air) and he started tapping my shins with his foot, like he was playing at football - a distraction the police call the "Ronaldinho". Watch out for this. However, after this happened, I had no problem spotting suspicious approaches. The pickpockets don't get into any serious trouble for stealing, but there are severe consequences for violence, so it rarely happens. Madrid is a city of many neighbourhoods (Malasaña, Lavapíes, Chueca, La Latina etc) with many great bars and restaurants, you will have a great time here. The poster who spoke of only going out at night with "armed guards" seems to me to be completely paranoid and off his/her rocker! Madrid is by far my favourite city to live in, and I like to party - I'm out several nights a week to all hours and I thoroughly recommend it! The only tip I can offer re pick-pockets is to carry your notes in a clip or a flat plastic wallet, making it hard for thieves to easily see where your money is - I had a fat wallet in my front jeans pocket the (one) time I was robbed! And don't carry a fortune on your person, I never take more than about 50 euros from an ATM. Also, I have never found the Madrileños to be either aggressive OR rude, in fact the oposite - they are very friendly when you speak with them. Madrid is great!
#Pepe on Apr 16, 2018 :
I have lived here in Madrid for 2 years and I would caution anyone about safety in this MAD city. :-) There are A LOT of pick pockets, especially around SOL....be very careful. There are also a lot of sex clubs here - so please take extra care in these places I would say in general the people here are very aggressive and (could be considered) rude. Also, for the men participating in gay activities here - (for those who don't know, Madrid is quite a sex destination in Europe) - there are a lot of men who have unprotected sex here and the rate of STIs are increasing dramatically. All in all, watch your back.
#Anonymous on Feb 28, 2018 :
Franco era? How easy is to be opinionated without a cultural background of the situation. Barcelona wants to go back to Middle Ages era, then.
#Jane on Feb 16, 2018 :
Gary, maybe because Madrid has many neighborhoods with muslims gypsies!
#Jane on Feb 16, 2018 :
The most UNSAFE city in Europe.About 3 of the rooms on the 7th floor of a hotel got broken into. Money,i iphones,jewelry etc taken. They entered by key card. Police were called and didnt want to know. Corrupt as hell.

Lots of streets have weird men looking at you like you are a piece of meat. Pickpockets in touristic places.
#anonymous on May 31, 2017 :
hi, I was wondering what its like to life in Madrid? Does it cost a lot of money for water and heat and other public sevices?
#Anonymous on Dec 09, 2016 :
Hey Gary,

Your poor friends, to me it sounds as though the hotel saw them coming and probably got them to drink in the hotel bar rather than roam the beautiful and (in my opinion) very safe streets of Madrid!
#Donato A. on Nov 12, 2016 :
Madrid is on of the safest cities in Europe. Gary, the staff at the hotel where your friends stayed must be fear mongering to charge them for some kind of service. I go to Madrid twice a year and I go out until all hours of the night and I've never had the slightest problem anywhere. It's a beautiful, safe, city. Obviously there are some areas to be avoided, but most of these are at the outer fringes of the city, areas you wouldn't go to as a tourist regardless.
#Gary on Jun 19, 2016 :
I found the comments and ratings on Madrid very interesting because they go against what I have heard from friends who visited there. The were told in no uncertain terms by the staff at the hotel where they were staying that is was no safe to go outdoors at night unless accompanied by a guard, preferably armed. The hotel involved would supply staff if necessary. So, they didn't go out at night. This was not that long ago, so maybe things have changed recently. At the same time they spent time in Barcelona and southern Spain with no difficulties at all. We were in southern Spain recently and we found no problems other than is seems like about 50% of the population of Barcelona wants to separate from Spain and go back to being independent as they feel that the Spanish government has not moved far enough and fast enough away from the Franco era.
About In the News Newsletter API

Copyright © 2009-2019 Numbeo. Your use of this service is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy