Manila

Is Manila safe?

For most visitors, yes, with more care than in Singapore or Bangkok. Metro Manila is a sprawl of 16 cities and one municipality with about 14 million people, and the parts most travellers use, Makati, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Ortigas and the airport hotels, are guarded and busy. The risks are robbery, sometimes at gunpoint, crime around taxis and public transport, roads built for cars rather than people, and weather that floods the city every rainy season.

The US State Department keeps the Philippines at Level 2 and says violent crime is common, and the UK Foreign Office describes high levels of street crime and robbery. We score Manila 62 out of 100, below Bangkok (66) and above Mexico City (58). Our Philippines page covers the islands, where most holidaymakers go.

Crime: what the police numbers show

Recorded crime has been falling. From 1 January to 5 May 2025, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) logged 1,627 index crimes across Metro Manila, against 2,201 a year earlier. Murders fell from 139 to 102, homicides from 52 to 37 and robberies from 283 to 230. Over a full year, that is roughly 3 killings per 100,000 people, lower than the national rate of 4.35 per 100,000 that UNODC reported for 2023.

Those figures understate street crime, because many thefts and robberies go unreported. 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 robbery sometimes involves weapons and firearms, that jeepneys and buses are held up at gunpoint, sometimes fatally, and that some taxi drivers work with accomplices to rob passengers, including on runs to and from the airport.

What helps:

• Book rides through Grab, use the official airport taxi ranks, or arrange a hotel transfer.
• Keep phones, watches and jewellery out of sight, especially in Quiapo, Divisoria, Malate and Ermita.
• If someone threatens you, hand everything over. Robbers are often armed.
• Be wary of new friends who move fast. The FCDO describes an extortion scam in which women befriend male tourists and then threaten false abuse claims.

The FCDO also says terrorist groups intend to attack anywhere in the Philippines, including Manila, though attacks are concentrated in the south.

Where to stay and going out at night

Gallup's 2025 report finds 64% of Filipinos feel safe walking alone at night, close to Australia's 66% and far below Vietnam's 88%. In Manila, the answer depends on the district. Makati's Poblacion and the Legazpi and Salcedo villages, BGC and Ortigas are full of guards, malls and late-night restaurants, and walking there at night is normal. The old city around Intramuros, Ermita and Malate is fine by day but quieter and riskier after dark.

Drink spiking happens in nightlife areas, so buy your own drinks. Take a ride app home rather than flagging a cab on the street.

Traffic and getting around

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recorded 352 road deaths in 2023 and 332 in the first 11 months of 2024, about 2.5 per 100,000 people. That looks low, but the counts are police reports that miss many deaths, and pedestrians make up about a third of the dead. EDSA and other main roads have few safe crossings, pavements are broken or blocked, and drivers rarely give way. Use footbridges where they exist.

Heavy congestion keeps speeds low in the centre but makes every trip slow. The MRT-3 and LRT lines are cheap and avoid the traffic, but they are packed at rush hour and pickpockets work the crowds; keep bags in front.

Typhoons, floods and air

Weather is the hazard that most often disrupts a trip. About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, mostly between June and November, and the southwest monsoon can bring days of heavy rain on its own. Low-lying parts of Metro Manila flood quickly, roads become impassable and flights are cancelled. Earthquakes are a national risk, and entry to Taal Volcano Island, south of the capital, is banned. 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 says emergency services have limited capacity to deal with large disasters, so follow PAGASA forecasts and local instructions, and keep your plans flexible in the wet season.

The air is moderately polluted: IQAir measured 17.4 µg/m³ of 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 in Manila in 2024, more than three times the WHO guideline, with traffic fumes worst along EDSA. Dengue is a risk all year, and floodwater spreads leptospirosis. Drink bottled or filtered water. Private hospitals in Makati and BGC are good, but you will need insurance.

How we scored it

Natural hazards (48) and theft and robbery (50) are Manila's weakest factors. Violent crime (72) sits higher because killings in Metro Manila are less common than the national average, and traffic safety (62), health and environment (64) and night safety (66) fall in between.