Bilbao

Spain · Europe

81Safety indexLower concern

U.S. State DeptLevel 2 · Increased caution

Global Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions

Smartraveller (AU)Level 1 · Normal precautions

5/5metric categories covered

Open comparison

43.26°, -2.94°

Regional locator · ring ≈ the figure's geographic unit

The safety picture

A plain-language read of the sourced figures below

Bilbao scores 81 out of 100, safer than roughly 48% of the cities we rank.

Its homicide rate is 0.3 per 100,000, well under the median for the cities we track, and robbery is 122.9 per 100,000. Both figures are reported for the wider province rather than the city, and we calculated the rates ourselves from a count and a population, so the city's own level may differ. On the advisories, the US and Canada place Spain at their second level, increased caution, while the UK and Australia hold it at their lowest, making the US and Canada the more cautious pair. All four name pickpocketing and scams as risks for visitors. We hold no walking-alone perception figure for Bilbao.

Safety dimensions

Larger area = more concern

Violent crime1

Robbery & theft22

Travel advisory33

The radar shows the three sourced, comparable risk measures (homicide, robbery, the strictest travel-advisory level). Tourist petty-crime signals are a different kind of measure — how often advisories mention them — so they are shown as rows under Tourist-specific incidents, not as radar axes.

Homicide / general violence

Intentional homicides (per 100,000)

0.3/100k

Figure is for Bizkaia (provincia) (state / province), wider than Bilbao itself.

Rate computed by project-atlas: 3 (count, 2024) ÷ 1167233 population (INE — Censo Anual de Población a 1 de enero de 2025 (provincias), 2025) × 100k.

Primary source: Ministerio del Interior (España) — Sistema Estadístico de Criminalidad (SEC), Series anuales

Where this sits on the scaleLow

01·3·8·20·40 /100k

Among tracked citiessafer than 96% of tracked cities

0.3/100k

0/100k safest101.2/100k

Robbery (police-recorded)

Robbery (per 100,000)

122.9/100k

Figure is for Bizkaia (provincia) (state / province), wider than Bilbao itself.

Rate computed by project-atlas: 1434 (count, 2024) ÷ 1167233 population (INE — Censo Anual de Población a 1 de enero de 2025 (provincias), 2025) × 100k.

Primary source: Ministerio del Interior (España) — Sistema Estadístico de Criminalidad (SEC), Series anuales

Where this sits on the scaleElevated

040·120·250·400·600 /100k

Among tracked citiessafer than 34% of tracked cities

122.9/100k

0.4/100k safest3097.8/100k

Travel advisories

U.S. State Department

U.S. State DeptLevel 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: U.S. Department of State — Spain Travel Advisory

Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Spain Travel Advice and Advisories

UK FCDO

UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions

Primary source: UK FCDO — Spain travel advice

Smartraveller (Australia)

Smartraveller (AU)Level 1 · Normal precautions

Primary source: Australian Government (DFAT Smartraveller) — Spain travel advice

Perceived safety

How safe people say they feel, from official population surveys — a separate signal, not part of the Safety Index.

Report crime, violence or vandalism in their area

National survey

13.6%report a problem

13.6% of people surveyed · Spain · 2023

Survey figure is for Spain (country), wider than Bilbao itself.

Primary source: Eurostat — Crime, violence or vandalism in the area (EU-SILC)

Tourist-specific incidents

How often government travel advisories mention each — a source-consensus signal, not a risk rate.

Pickpocketing & petty theft in travel advisories

3 of 3 advisories mention this

project-atlas count: 3 of 3 reviewed government advisories mention this. A source-consensus signal, not a measured risk rate.

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Spain travel advice (Safety and security)

Scams & fraud in travel advisories

3 of 3 advisories mention this

project-atlas count: 3 of 3 reviewed government advisories mention this. A source-consensus signal, not a measured risk rate.

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Spain travel advice (Safety and security)