Brussels

Belgium · Europe

59Safety indexModerate

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

50.85°, 4.35°

Regional locator · ring ≈ the figure's geographic unit

The safety picture

A plain-language read of the sourced figures below

Brussels scores 59 out of 100 in our index, safer than only 23% of the cities we score.

Its homicide rate is 2.7 per 100,000, about 1.7 times the median for the cities we track, though the figure covers the wider metro area and was derived by us from a count and a population. Recorded robbery is high at 443 per 100,000, again a metro figure calculated the same way, and police data captures only reported incidents, so the real total is higher. On advisories the four governments split: the US and Canada put Belgium at their second level, increased caution, while the UK and Australia hold it at their lowest. A city survey found 58.6% of residents feel safe walking alone after dark, roughly in line with the recorded-crime picture. Advisories for Belgium also name pickpocketing and scams targeting visitors.

Safety dimensions

Larger area = more concern

Violent crime5

Robbery & theft81

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)

2.7/100k

Figure is for Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussel-Hoofdstad (metro area), wider than Brussels itself.

Rate computed by project-atlas: 34 (count, 2024) ÷ 1264371 population (Eurostat — Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3), 2024) × 100k.

Primary source: Eurostat — Police-recorded offences by NUTS 3 region (crim_gen_reg; source data: Police Fédérale / Federale Politie, Belgium)

Where this sits on the scaleGuarded

01·3·8·20·40 /100k

Among tracked citiessafer than 37% of tracked cities

2.7/100k

0/100k safest101.2/100k

Robbery (police-recorded)

Robbery (per 100,000)

443/100k

Police-recorded robbery undercounts true incidence — a share of robberies go unreported. Read this as recorded robbery, not total robbery.

Figure is for Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussel-Hoofdstad (metro area), wider than Brussels itself.

Rate computed by project-atlas: 5601 (count, 2024) ÷ 1264371 population (Eurostat — Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3), 2024) × 100k.

Primary source: Eurostat — Police-recorded offences by NUTS 3 region (crim_gen_reg; source data: Police Fédérale / Federale Politie, Belgium)

Where this sits on the scaleSevere

040·120·250·400·600 /100k

Among tracked citiessafer than 7% of tracked cities

443/100k

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 — Belgium Travel Advisory

Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

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

UK FCDO

UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions

Primary source: UK FCDO — Belgium travel advice

Smartraveller (Australia)

Smartraveller (AU)Level 1 · Normal precautions

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

Perceived safety

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

Feel safe walking alone at night

City survey

58.6%feel safe

Belgium average · 57.7%

58.6% of people surveyed · Brussels · 2023

% feeling safe = Eurostat "strongly agree" (14.4%) + "somewhat agree" (44.2%); both are shares of the same respondents (base includes "don't know").

Primary source: Eurostat — Quality of Life in European Cities (Flash Eurobarometer, DG REGIO)

Report crime, violence or vandalism in their area

National survey

12.4%report a problem

12.4% of people surveyed · Belgium · 2023

Survey figure is for Belgium (country), wider than Brussels 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 — Belgium travel advice (Safety and security)

Scams & fraud in travel advisories

2 of 3 advisories mention this

project-atlas count: 2 of 3 reviewed government advisories mention this. A source-consensus signal, not a measured risk rate.

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