Crime in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It's as overrated as the country is for violence, has relatively accurate data and gets discriminated for it by cranks pretending not to see the problem.

For instance, here's a list of countries with more absolute murders than Brazil:

1. Pakistan
2. Nigeria
3. India
4. Democratic Republic of the Congo
5. Bangladesh

I'll try to clarify some aspects since most comments on this section lacks objectivity and doesn't really add up on the matter.

First and most important is there are areas safer than others. Wealthier parts of the city (south mostly) are safer but it doesn't rule out armed robbery risks. Carrying cigarretes or little ammounts of money will never avoid armed robbery as stated below. Offering cigarretes (or anything) while being robbed is not wise. Don't do that.

It's not the most dangerous place in earth as some say either, but it can be pretty dangerous if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. and that's serious. You can get shot or worse.

Solution?
Do not travel without local guides. They know how to avoid bad situations. Besides, they know a lot of nice places worth visiting.

I have been in Rio dozen of times in the last 10 years for short and long stays (up to 2 months) and I do not share the horrific descriptions listed below. Sounds a bit like hyper inflating issues to me.

I stayed in the center as well as in Copacabana and Ipanema. I walked a lot through the city (from the center to Lapa, Flamengo, Botafogo, Copacabana or Ipanema) and never ever faced an issue. When in Rio I use the public transportation (metro, buses). Not a single issue.
Yes locals warned me. Many times. I simply keep a low profile. I blend in as much as possible. Can it be that I was so lucky all these years? statistically highly improbable.

Read the comments from Finn below (Finn on Aug 03, 2018). I share the same feelings resp. experience.
I read that over 6 millions foreigners visit Brazil each year. First destination is Rio with almost 3 millions. Pre pandemic figures yes but still.

So yes crime is present but not omnipresent and common sense resp. usual precautions should keep you safe.
This page provide sensible advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/brazil/safety-and-security

But no Rio is not part of the best cities in the world in my eyes. The landscape is absolutely wonderful but the city itself not though it is very interesting. Adding to that the social inequalities and the pollution to name a few issues... but it is certainly well worth a visit while you are in Brazil. As Finn I prefer July or August. Not too humid, more stable weather conditions and less tourists :D

What more can be said?

Exceptionally dangerous, wherever you are.

Yes it may have some nice postcard views, but are they worth your life?

In 2016 a bullet just missed me by 1 meter in Botafogo. I have no idea about from where it came.
Stay away from Hell de Janeiro

Had a day walking in centro area about several miles with an iphone in hand , gave some cash from the pocket to street musicians and everything was fine. recklessly walked in the middle of no busy road while taking photos and you know what homeless men cried out to watch my back due to approaching vehicle. well i dont know what to think after reading the previous comments

I have just come back from Rio. It is magnificent city with serious issues. Unfortunately.

I just came back home from Rio. Spent 2,5 weeks there with my friend. We are both Finnish and in our twenties.

I guess we were just lucky because nothing bad happened - the only thing we witnessed was a taxi crashing with biker - but it's something we would see in our home town as well and happens every now and then everywhere.

We took busses to Buzios, Angra, and Paraty and everything went fine. We also explored the city of Rio by subway, Ubers and walking. And no - we did not go to the North Zone, Just Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Sao Conrado, Pedra da Gavea, Botafogo, Leme, Centro, Lapa etc... Plenty of things to see on those "safer zones".

I am well aware of the problems of the city and the horrific quality of living in the favelas, so I would never say it's a paradise or the best city in the world. Most of the shootings happen in favelas so they are relatively easy to avoid (for the visitors - god help the locals).

But for a visitor (or at least for us) it was something we will never forget - in a positive light. The city was so beautiful with all the mountains / hills, beaches, palm trees, forests and parks and a lot of cultural sites to see. Also - food and drinks were cheap for us as europeans, and we were always treated with respect. Many of the locals did not speak english, but they were eager to teach us a couple of words and use their hands and facial expressions to try to make us understand what they wanted to say. They were always helpful and asked if we needed help, do we know the way, were are we going etc.

The weather was perfect in July, I would not visit during the local summer as it could be too hot for me. It seemed to be off season as there were no queues to any tourist attractions and we could just walk in easily without waiting.

Ubers were really easy to use and the drivers were nice and did not drive too fast or anything. The only bad car trip we experienced was an official taxi we had to take once when we did not have the wifi connection to order uber. He was driving too fast and took his hands off the wheel during the drive, spoke loudly portuguese and we understood nothing. It was a scary trip and took like 20 mins so that was maybe the only bad experience we had.

I even walked back home at 4am alone from the bar, like 20 mins. That was in copacabana though. I was pretty drunk and in the morning I got scared when I understood how dangerous it could have been.

We both have dark hair, tan and wore flip-flops so I guess we did not stand up from the crowd that much.

I can't tell everyone will be safe there and it's the best destination to go f.ex with your family, but I wish I didn't read all the horror stories before leaving, because for me the fear was not helpful - I even thought about cancelling my flights. Now I'm glad I didn't because it was awesome, and I will totally go back some day. Hope the situation gets better before that. I'm also worried about the local businesses if no tourist wants to go there anymore - it could drive more locals to the poverty and even worsen the situation.