Spain ranks among Europe’s safest countries in crowd-sourced crime index

Numbeo’s latest European crime rankings show that Spanish cities are among the safest in Europe — and far safer than many in the UK, France, or Italy.

Who are Numbeo and what does the index measure

Numbeo is the world’s largest crowd-sourced database of cities and countries, compiling millions of data points on cost of living, quality of life, and safety. Its Crime Index is based on user surveys that gauge perceptions of crime, safety, and antisocial behaviour. The results are scaled from 0 to 100, with higher scores meaning more crime. Cities scoring below 40 are considered low-crime, while those above 60 are classed as high-crime.

Spanish cities: consistently safe

Of the 151 European cities ranked in 2025, Spain performs impressively well. The national average Crime Index is just 35.8, putting Spain ahead of other popular destinations such as Italy (48.0), France (55.4), Portugal (40.0), and well below the UK (47.3) and Germany (38.0).

Within Spain, the safest major cities are Zaragoza (25.0), Madrid (28.8), and San Sebastián (30.4) — all rated as low-crime. Málaga (31.2), Alicante (33.8), and Palma de Mallorca (35.3) also fall comfortably within the low range. Even Barcelona, long criticised for pickpocketing, sits at 52.0, roughly on par with cities such as Nottingham or Milan, and far below crime hotspots like Marseille (66.9) or Birmingham (64.7).

How Spain compares to other property hotspots

For foreign buyers, especially from the UK, Germany, and France, these figures underline a major lifestyle advantage of owning in Spain. British buyers, for instance, may be surprised to learn that every major Spanish city ranks safer than London (55.5), Manchester (55.9), or even Brighton (38.9). In France, almost every large city exceeds Spain’s average by a wide margin — Paris (58.0), Lyon (58.6), and Marseille (66.9). Italy also struggles, with Naples (62.4) and Rome (47.6) both above the European mean.

Why it matters

While Numbeo’s index reflects perceptions rather than official police statistics, it captures something arguably more relevant to quality of life: how safe people feel. And by that measure, Spain shines. With calm streets, low violent crime, and a generally secure atmosphere even in large cities, it’s little wonder Spain continues to attract millions of residents and second-home buyers seeking not just sunshine — but peace of mind.