Ottawa
Canada · North America
U.S. State DeptLevel 1 · Normal precautions
UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions
Smartraveller (AU)Level 1 · Normal precautionsThe safety picture
A plain-language read of the sourced figures belowOttawa scores 91 out of 100 in our index, placing it safer than about 66% of the cities we rank.
Its homicide rate is 2.1 per 100,000, a little above the median for the cities we track, and both that figure and the robbery rate of 42.61 per 100,000 cover the wider metro area rather than the city alone, so read them as an upper bound on the local level. The US, UK, and Australia each hold Canada at their lowest advisory level, and their advisories flag pickpocketing and scams for travellers. In a national survey, 87.6% of people said they feel safe walking alone at night, though that result covers the whole country and not Ottawa specifically.
Safety dimensions
Larger area = more concernHomicide / general violence
Primary source: Statistics Canada — Homicide victims, by Census Metropolitan Area (Table 35-10-0071)
Robbery (police-recorded)
Primary source: Statistics Canada — Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations (Table 35-10-0177)
Travel advisories
U.S. State DeptLevel 1 · Normal precautionsPrimary source: U.S. Department of State — Canada Travel Advisory
No advisory on record.
UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautionsPrimary source: UK FCDO — Canada travel advice
Smartraveller (AU)Level 1 · Normal precautionsPrimary source: Australian Government (DFAT Smartraveller) — Canada travel advice
Perceived safety
How safe people say they feel, from official population surveys — a separate signal, not part of the Safety Index.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.Primary source: UK FCDO — Canada travel advice (Safety and security)
Primary source: U.S. Department of State — Canada travel advice (Safety and security)