Macau

Is Macau safe?

On the street, yes. Macau is one of the safest cities in Asia to walk around: UNODC puts its homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary at 0.56 per 100,000 in 2023, and recorded crime fell 7.1% in the first nine months of 2025, with violent crime down 11%. Road deaths are about 1 per 100,000 people, one of the lowest rates in the Hong Kong Transport Department's comparison of 29 cities.

The catches are typhoons, which flooded the old town twice in 2025, the crowds at the main sights, and the crime that follows the casinos. We score Macau 85, below Hong Kong and just above Shanghai. Macau has its own travel advice, separate from mainland China.

Casinos, loan sharks and money changers

Almost all of Macau's serious crime is tied to gambling, and almost all of it happens to gamblers. Police recorded 1,731 casino-related crimes in the first nine months of 2025, up 70%. The Secretary for Security said the jump came mainly from a stricter illegal gambling law, which made illegal money exchange a crime. Illegal currency exchange cases fell to 306.

The risk for a visitor who gambles is credit. Loan sharks offer money near the tables, and police say groups sometimes hold gamblers captive until relatives pay. In the first quarter of 2026, police recorded 45 illegal gambling loan cases and 3 abductions linked to them. Never borrow from people on the casino floor, and change money at banks or licensed counters, not with the men who approach you near the casinos.

Minor assaults rose in early 2026, with the highest numbers in tourist spots, casinos, hotels and the streets around them, and police say they have stepped up patrols there. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also warns visitors to watch their wallets in casinos late at night and their bags when checking out of hotels.

Pickpockets and crowds at the sights

The historic centre is small and gets very crowded, especially on mainland Chinese holidays such as Golden Week in early October and the Lunar New Year. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary names crowded areas as the place to guard passports, cards and money. In practice that means:

• Senado Square and the lanes up to the Ruins of St Paul's, which can be shoulder to shoulder.
• The border gate at Gongbei and the ferry terminals, where people carry luggage.
• Casino floors and the free shuttle buses between hotels.

Crushing crowds are as much a nuisance as a risk. Visit the old town early in the morning or on weekdays, and avoid the main holidays if you can.

Phone scams, often with criminals pretending to be officials, are common in Macau, but they mostly target residents in Chinese. Ignore calls that ask for money or bank details.

Walking at night

Macau feels safe late at night. The Cotai Strip and the casino districts on the peninsula are busy and lit around the clock, and police use a dense network of public cameras. Gallup does not survey Macau separately, but in its 2025 report 94% of people in mainland China and 91% in Hong Kong said they feel safe walking alone at night, among the highest shares of 144 countries. Women commonly walk alone late. Away from the casinos, the old residential streets are quiet rather than risky.

Typhoons and flooding

Natural hazards are Macau's weakest point. Typhoon season runs from May to November, and the old town around the Inner Harbour is low-lying. In 2025 the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau raised two No. 10 hurricane signals in one year, the first time since records began in 1968. During Super Typhoon Ragasa in September, floodwater in the Inner Harbour reached 1.51 m, the red storm-surge level. Typhoon Hato in 2017 caused deaths and the deepest flooding on record.

Warnings are clear and given early. At signal No. 8, public offices close and most transport stops. Stay in your hotel, keep away from the waterfront and the Inner Harbour, and allow a spare day if you are flying out of Hong Kong.

Air quality is moderate: IQAir puts the 2024 PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary average at 17.7 µg/m³, more than three times the WHO guideline, with worse days in winter. Public and private hospitals give good emergency care.

Laws and consular help

The US rates Macau Level 3 (reconsider travel), not because of crime but because China limits what its diplomats can do there, so emergency help for US citizens is limited, and because of arbitrary enforcement of local laws. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that the SafeguardingSafeguardingThe legal duty of payment and e-money firms to keep customer money separate from their own, so it can be returned if the firm fails.More in the glossary National Security Law can apply to what you say or post, including in the UK, and that Macau does not recognise dual nationality, so British-Chinese nationals may not get consular help. Drug possession can mean prison, and Uber is illegal.

How we scored it

Violent crime (93), traffic safety (92) and walking at night (90) are Macau's strongest factors. Natural hazards (62) is the weakest, because of typhoons and storm surge. Theft and scams (82) reflects pickpocketing in crowds and crime around casinos. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary is about consular access and the law, so it does not change a factor score; read it before you go.