Crime in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Crime rates in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Level of crime	83.22	Very High
Crime increasing in the past 5 years	71.15	High
Worries home broken and things stolen	52.81	Moderate
Worries being mugged or robbed	79.30	High
Worries car stolen	70.21	High
Worries things from car stolen	72.27	High
Worries attacked	56.88	Moderate
Worries being insulted	44.90	Moderate
Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion	28.30	Low
Problem people using or dealing drugs	74.46	High
Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft	77.12	High
Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery	83.28	Very High
Problem corruption and bribery	87.98	Very High
Safety walking alone during daylight	46.80	Moderate
Safety walking alone during night	15.56	Very Low

Safety in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Safety walking alone during daylight		46.80	Moderate
Safety walking alone during night		15.56	Very Low

Contributors: 906

Last update: 8 April 2026

These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 5 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.

Moving to Sao Paulo? Explore:

Nearby Cities:

Crime in Sao Caetano do Sul	8.75 miles
Crime in Diadema	10.64 miles
Crime in Guarulhos	11.37 miles
Crime in Sao Bernardo do Campo	12.41 miles
Crime in Osasco	14.14 miles
Crime in Carapicuiba (Carapicuíba)	17.65 miles
Crime in Embu das Artes	18.93 miles
Crime in Barueri	19.85 miles
Crime in Ferraz de Vasconcelos	20.26 miles
Crime in Cotia	21.50 miles

This Page in Other Languages:

DeutschKriminalität in Sao Paulo

PortuguêsCrime em São Paulo

ItalianoCriminalità a Sao Paulo

FrançaisCriminalité à São Paulo

EspañolDelincuencia en Sao Paulo

Leave a comment:

10 Comments so far

Julio on Mar 25, 2026:

São Paulo is, right now, a shithole. There arent "safe zones" anymore, even in the traditional parts of the city(anhangabaú, república's square, morumbi) there are lots of crimes(even homicides). In the touristic/rich parts of the city, its very commom to see drug addicts or minors stealing with knifes and, sometimes, with actual guns(but these happen more often in the night). As Enzo said, the periferic areas are wayyy worse, the East and North Side are no go zones, don't go there, there's nothing to do there besides see what a third world country looks like.
Therefore, there isnt anything so special to a tourist to do here. If you want to go see historical places, go to the Minas Gerais State's countryside, if you want to go to beautiful beachs or ecoturism, go to the northeast part of the country or the São Paulo's northen coast. The city of São Paulo is just a big favela with somewhat cool places in the middle

Enzo on Jan 31, 2026:

São Paulo isn't "Rio dangerous", the most common crime you'd see is pickpockets in crowded areas or crackheads at the centre, however, at night things are different, even in nice neighborhoods, I recommend staying at home, unless you're in a tourist area, then it's greatly policed and you'll be fine as long as you don't wander to sketchy places. The worst areas, in terms of big crimes, are located in Zona Leste (East side) and Zona Norte (North side), as well as Capão Redondo, Campo Limpo, and Jardim Ângela. If you're visiting São Paulo, try not to visit deserted areas, mind your belongings and don't go exploring random places; stick to Pinheiros, Barra Funda, Centro Histórico, Liberdade, and Jardins.

John Doe on Dec 19, 2025:

ChatGPT isn't research and can spit factually incorrect statistics.

Isabella on Apr 27, 2025:

I had ChatGPT research this for me and you really should check real numbers like everyone is saying:

Homicide
Incidents: 3,044
Rate per 100k: 8.4

Robbery
Incidents: 133,324
Rate per 100k: 1,164

Theft
Incidents: 250,825
Rate per 100k: 2,190

Vehicle Theft
Incidents: 51,000
Rate per 100k: 446

Total
Incidents: 438,193
Rate per 100k: 3,828.4

Making the overall crime rate per 100k people: 3.83%. Comparable to Los Angeles and San Jose, California.

Isabella Farinelli on Apr 27, 2025:

I hate ChatGPT research this for me and you really should check real numbers like everyone is saying:

Homicide
Incidents: 3,044
Rate per 100k: 8.4

Robbery
Incidents: 133,324
Rate per 100k: 1,164

Theft
Incidents: 250,825
Rate per 100k: 2,190

Vehicle Theft
Incidents: 51,000
Rate per 100k: 446

Total
Incidents: 438,193
Rate per 100k: 3,828.4

Making the overall crime rate per 100k people: 3.83%. Comparable to Los Angeles and San Jose, California.

Nico on Sep 21, 2024:

lol you guys should check real numbers, the city have a low crime rate, as the quote says "no one hates more brazil than brazilians" this reviews are out of reality

Achim Harding on May 20, 2024:

I plan to go to São Paulo in November.

Fernando Haddad on Mar 16, 2024:

Sao Paulo is not dangerous. just look around and stay alert. Crime been decreasing last years.

Anonymous on Feb 04, 2024:

Murders in São Paulo has significantly decreased in 2023, But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let your guard down. Follow safety precautions and avoid any areas that no one would want to go, and stick to tourist spots.

Camila on Jul 19, 2022:

Ao sair na rua a qualquer horário voce corre o risco de ser roubado ou ate morto por causa de um celular ou qualquer outra coisa fútil. Não importa o bairro, não existe lugar seguro aqui, nem dentro da sua própria casa voce está seguro. Se não for roubado na rua o governo te rouba de alguma maneira, recolhendo seus impostos e não reaplicando em melhorias para o país. Se não for o governo te roubando, alguém certamente em algum momento irá aplicar um golpe em voce para tentar te roubar. Bem vindos ao Brasil um lugar onde é muito fácil ser criminoso.

About Numbeo in the News Newsletter Advertise Premium API

Index
Crime Index:	69.76
Safety Index:	30.24