City Travel Stats

Medellín

Colombia · Latin America & Caribbean

35Safety indexHigher concern
3US flagU.S. State DeptLevel 3 · Reconsider travel
2CA flagGlobal Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution
2GB flagUK FCDOLevel 2 · Increased caution
2AU flagSmartraveller (AU)Level 2 · Increased caution
5/5metric categories covered
Open comparison
6.25°, -75.56°
Regional locator · ring ≈ the figure's geographic unit

The safety picture

A plain-language read of the sourced figures below

Medellín scores 35 out of 100, among the lowest we record, with only about 7% of the cities we score ranking below it.

Its homicide rate is 12.5 per 100,000, roughly 7.8 times the median for the cities we track, though that figure covers the wider municipality and was calculated by us from a count and a population. Recorded robbery is 356.1 per 100,000, carrying the same municipal and undercount caveats, so read it as a floor. The four governments split on Colombia: the US is most cautious at level three, reconsider travel, while Canada, the UK, and Australia each hold it a step lower at increased caution. Advisories for the country flag pickpocketing and scams targeting visitors. On perception, 52.7% said they feel safe walking alone at night, but that result is national rather than specific to Medellín.

Safety dimensions

Larger area = more concern
Violent crimeRobbery & theftTravel advisory
Violent crime25
Robbery & theft65
Travel advisory67
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)
12.5/100k
Figure is for Medellin (municipality), wider than Medellín itself.
Rate computed by project-atlas: 333 (count, 2025) ÷ 2653729 population (DANE — Proyecciones de población (CNPV 2018), 2023) × 100k.

Primary source: Policía Nacional de Colombia — Homicidios (datos abiertos)

Where this sits on the scaleHigh
01·3·8·20·40 /100k
Among tracked citiessafer than 16% of tracked cities
12.5/100k
0/100k safest101.2/100k

Robbery (police-recorded)

Robbery (per 100,000)
356.1/100k
Police-recorded robbery (hurto con violencia) — Colombian hurto is under-reported (cifra negra), so read this as recorded robbery, not total robbery.
Figure is for Medellín (municipality), wider than Medellín itself.
Rate computed by project-atlas: 9451 (count, 2024) ÷ 2653729 population (DANE — Proyecciones de población (CNPV 2018), 2023) × 100k.

Primary source: Policía Nacional de Colombia — Estadística delictiva (hurtos por arma, Cuadro 10)

Where this sits on the scaleHigh
040·120·250·400·600 /100k
Among tracked citiessafer than 12% of tracked cities
356.1/100k
0.4/100k safest3097.8/100k

Travel advisories

U.S. State Department
3US flagU.S. State DeptLevel 3 · Reconsider travel

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

Global Affairs Canada
2CA flagGlobal Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

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

UK FCDO
2GB flagUK FCDOLevel 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: UK FCDO — Colombia travel advice

Smartraveller (Australia)
2AU flagSmartraveller (AU)Level 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: Australian Government (DFAT Smartraveller) — Colombia 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
National survey
52.7%feel safe
52.7% of people surveyed · Colombia · 2024
Survey figure is for Colombia (country), wider than Medellín itself.

Primary source: UN SDG 16.1.4 — feel safe walking alone at night (UNODC)

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 — Colombia 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 — Colombia travel advice (Safety and security)